Mike McGlinchey will see a different face when he looks across the San Francisco 49ers offensive line this season. His former teammate and close friend, Joe Staley, called it a career in April. He is replaced by seven-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Trent Williams, whom the 49ers acquired from Washington via a trade.
Early into training camp, Williams has already made an impression on McGlinchey.
"He's been an unbelievable guy to work with over the last two weeks or so," McGlinchey told reporters on Monday via a video conference call. "Just in walk-throughs, you still kind of get a little jaw-dropped by how smooth and how much of an athlete he truly is at his size.
"It's going to be cool to pick his brain over the next couple of weeks here, going through training camp, once live bullets start flying, and seeing him back in action."
Speaking of athleticism, McGlinchey hopes his improved this offseason. He was one of the few fortunate enough to have access to the 49ers facility during the lockdown. As he does each offseason, McGlinchey underwent a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection, making him a rehabbing player once COVID-19 shut everyone else out of NFL facilities.
"I do it (PRP injections) for maintenance purposes," McGlinchey explained, "and the first couple of weeks and all that kind of stuff was what allowed me to be here and train with our staff."
That's when McGlinchey was able to work with the training staff to find ways to enhance his offseason regimen.
"I stay here. I'm a Bay Area native now," McGlinchey said. "So, I was here working with our staff and all that stuff. And I'm really, really proud of what we did, and the basics that we put back into my training that are going to allow me, I think, to be a much more functional athlete and stronger football player."
Williams spoke with reporters last week and shared that knocking off the rust wasn't the only hurdle to overcome in his return to football. He had to hold back from pushing himself too hard once he got on the practice field, even during walk-throughs. Williams was just so excited about playing again after missing all of last season with Washington.
Williams also shared the unique experience of entering the 49ers' facilities for the first time, even amid all the COVID-19 precautions.
"As soon as you walk in this building, the vibe is different," Williams said. "I think my first team meeting, before it even started, the first time with us all being together, I could just feel the vibe then. This environment here that Kyle (Shanahan) has created, I think they've done an outstanding job.
"They've got a bunch of like-minded fellas in the locker room. I think everybody feeds off of each other and everybody encourages each other. It's just one of those things you've got to experience to believe."
McGlinchey isn't surprised by the reaction. The 49ers, after all, know how to have fun every day while putting in a lot of hard work.
"We are grown men, but we act like little kids a lot of the time," McGlinchey explained. "We have a lot of fun, and we have the ability to compete with each other at all times, and fly around. There's just a charge of energy that's in our building, and you can feel it more.
"I think Trent has been exposed to that for the first two weeks now, and it's kind of just like a re-ignitor to the career that he's had. It gives him a new excitement for what we're able to do.
"And on top of the fact that we are all great people, and all have a lot of fun when we do what we do, we're also really damn good football players."