San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch joined 95.7 The Game on Tuesday morning and discussed several areas of the roster, including two young players in rookie tackle Mike McGlinchey and second-year defensive lineman Solomon Thomas.
Fans haven't heard McGlinchey's name a whole lot this season, which is a good thing. You typically only hear about an offensive lineman when he does something wrong. Of course, plays like this one against the Oakland Raiders will make you stand out in the eyes of an analyst like Brian Baldinger.
.@49ers @mmcglinch68 #FightingIrish #Irish hunting some Raider meat 52 yards down field. I know a lot of OT's who never leave their phone booth. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/WxxC1KQ7js
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) November 7, 2018
"He's a cornerstone," Lynch said on the "Joe, Lo & Dibs" show. "I would call his rookie season better than just strong. I think he's been phenomenal. I really do. I think the way he's played both in the run game and the pass game has continued to improve, but it's been very solid. I think Mike is a cornerstone-type player. What I love most about him (is) the way he works each and every day."
McGlinchey isn't just becoming an anchor on the right side, he's even having an impact on veteran left tackle Joe Staley. The two have forged a close friendship since the 49ers drafted McGlinchey.
"I think Staley is playing, in my mind, some of his best football in years," Lynch added. "He's playing at an extremely high level. I think having Mike in the building maybe has been like a little bit of the Fountain of Youth."
Then you have the enigma that is defensive lineman Solomon Thomas. The criticism surrounding the second-year player hasn't so much been his talent level, but how the coaching staff has opted to utilize him. Thomas's strength coming out of Stanford was considered to be his play within the interior of the defensive line. Instead, he has seen a significant amount of playing time on the outside.
"Well, I've always felt when we drafted him, I thought where he was going to have a chance to be a difference maker was as an inside rusher," Lynch said of Thomas. "In our base defense, he plays outside early, and then the plan was to move him inside. He hasn't had as many opportunities, and that goes to earning those opportunities. But I think Solly's done a nice job of continuing to work, and I look forward to him getting those opportunities."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.
