SANTA CLARA -- Just like everyone outside of the 49ers' building, Mike McGlinchey excitedly has been watching the battles in the trenches.
One of the biggest storylines coming out of 49ers training camp has been the competition between the tackles and edge rushers. Trent Williams and Nick Bosa have spoken glowingly about each other’s skill set and what they’ve learned from each other.
It has been a similar case on the other side of the field between Dee Ford and McGlinchey, who shared how lucky he is to be a part of the group.
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“I really can’t explain it other than that how rare it is what we have here in this building,” McGlinchey said on Sunday. “What I like to think is one of the top edges on the offensive side of the ball with Trent and I and then with Nick and Dee.”
At the beginning of training camp, the Notre Dame product immediately noticed a difference in Ford, who had a procedure on his knee during the offseason and has come back healthier. The edge rusher has gotten his “shot out of a cannon” type of acceleration back, which McGlinchey says unlocks the speed of the rest of the pass rush.
McGlinchey himself had a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) procedure on his knee during the offseason, which allowed him to train at the facility. He has come back leaner, which inspired the new nickname “The Big Slim” from All-Pro Richard Sherman.
McGlinchey, however, revealed that he had only lost about five pounds, but does feel like he made strides while working with the 49ers player performance staff.
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“It was my goal to make sure that I came back this season, I was going to give them more of a run for their money than I did last year,” McGlinchey said. “I hope that they can feel that and I hope that they can understand that.”
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McGlinchey has enjoyed watching the battles in practice as much as participating in them. He described benefitting from when the coaches have mixed it up allowing him to get reps against Bosa as well.
“We are very, very fortunate because we get to play against the best in the world each and every day of practice,” McGlinchey said. “I get a front-row seat to watch the best in the world go at it, and it’s cool.”