San Francisco 49ers tackle Mike McGlinchey is happy to be done with his rookie year. He was Pro Football Focus' highest-graded rookie tackle last season and the second-highest graded rookie offensive lineman, behind his former college teammate, Quenton Nelson.
While McGlinchey had an impressive rookie campaign, he feels a full offseason will be a significant benefit as he heads into his second NFL season. Last year, he had to deal with all of the obligations that came with being part of the league's incoming rookie class. This year, he's been able to focus entirely on the upcoming season.
"I think last year, being a rookie and having all those rookie obligations and stuff in the spring, you don't get to focus on being a tradition offensive lineman," McGlinchey told reporters on Tuesday. "You've got so many other things and hats to juggle. So it was nice to be able to put like 15 pounds back on and feel myself being stronger in these first two days."
Increasing his strength was one of McGlinchey's offseason goals, and from the looks of the 6-foot-8 tackle, he accomplished that. He also wanted to focus on his footwork and timing.
"Just constantly working to be in the best position of leverage in every block," McGlinchey continued. "I think I got a little behind in some footwork late in the year with my run game. And in pass [protection], I think I improved a lot."
McGlinchey wants to become a more physical blocker in pass protection, which may have been his weakness last year. While he was Pro Football Focus' highest-graded rookie offensive lineman when it comes to run blocking, he ranked No. 7 among first-year tackles and No. 16 among all rookie offensive linemen when it comes to pass blocking.
Joe Staley jokingly expressed in April that he was offended McGlinchey didn't work out with him as planned.
"He wanted to go to EXOS (in Carlsbad, California)," Staley told reporters. "He's more of a guy that kind of likes the spotlight life. Who I train with [in San Diego], I've been training with for four or five years, and it's just me and him. It's not the glitz and glam of EXOS. He was there with his guys."
McGlinchey had an opportunity to explain why he opted to work out at EXOS rather than with his friend and teammate.
"That was funny because the story that he told was that I was too fancy for him," McGlinchey said. "He didn't quite tell you that if you train at EXOS for pre-draft, they give it to you for free (the next year). So I'm still on my college mentality and trying to save money and all that kind of stuff."
Carlsbad, by the way, is just over 30 miles north of San Diego, so the two were in the same area.
McGlinchey added, "Joe, he was very, very forward in trying to attack me there but I was at his house like five or six days a week when I was down there. It's not like we didn't get enough of each other, for sure."
The video below is courtesy of Grant Cohn of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
