5 players the 49ers need to break out in 2021
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: 49ers Right Tackle Mike McGlinchey
San Francisco seems awfully more committed to right tackle Mike McGlinchey than the fanbase, which directed its offensive line frustrations towards the 2018 first-round NFL Draft pick quite a bit last season.
Not for bad reasons either.
While McGlinchey was an elite-level run-blocker, at least according to Pro Football Focus, his 58.3 pass-blocking grade with a whopping 37 quarterback pressures allowed is far from elite. And while McGlinchey wasn’t necessarily a constant liability on the O-line, when he looked bad, he looked awfully bad.
The 49ers spent considerable effort restocking the O-line this offseason, re-signing left tackle Trent Williams, signing veteran center Alex Mack and then using a second-round draft pick on offensive guard Aaron Banks, all potentially leaving McGlinchey as the weakest link.
Yet the Niners also picked up McGlinchey’s fifth-year option for 2022, meaning he’ll be around for at least the next two years.
Unless San Francisco is to regret this transaction in the not-so-distant future, McGlinchey’s game has to see a notable uptick from the pass-protection struggles he endured last year.