"I think there were probably two guys that stood out from the pack," San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said on Thursday when asked about new 49ers tackle Mike McGlinchey's interview at the NFL Scouting Combine. "We have 60 interviews at the combine, and he was a guy that came in, and just kind of owned the room and everyone felt it. It wasn't just me. Kyle felt that way. Our coaches that were in the room felt that way, our scouts in the room. He's got a special presence to him. He's real. He's authentic, and he's a badass, and we like that."
During the week leading to the draft, the 49ers already had their minds set on McGlinchey. If he were there at the No. 9 overall pick, the team would not trade out of the spot. They would get their guy. That decision came around the same time former starting right tackle Trent Brown reportedly arrived out of shape for the start of the team's offseason program. It probably wasn't a coincidence.
The 49ers traded Brown to the New England Patriots during the draft.
On Saturday, Lynch spoke with NBC Sports Bay Area and shared two other names that stood out to the 49ers during those interviews. As he stated on Thursday, McGlinchey wasn't the only prospect that impressed the team.
"I was thinking about it, there were actually three guys who stood out from everyone else," Lynch told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area.
The other two draft prospects were Florida State safety Derwin James and Georgia running back Sony Michel. James ended up being selected by the Los Angeles Chargers with the No. 17 overall pick while Michel went to the Patriots at No. 31.
"Those were the guys," Lynch said. "That's no knock on all the others, but those guys were – yeah, they were great."
Like McGlinchey, James and Michel's presence during the interview process impressed the 49ers.
"Derwin James was just phenomenal," Lynch said. "That was a hard one because he's special in his presence, let alone his play. And Sony Michel was the same way, just in terms of owning the room."
McGlinchey was one of nine players the 49ers drafted during the three-day selection process.
