Mike McGlinchey was visibly bigger when he reported to training camp this week. The San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle worked hard to bulk up this offseason, and discussed the process with reporters after Saturday's practice.
McGlinchey shared that he now weighs between 315 and 320 pounds. It fluctuates between those numbers daily with practices.
"It's about -- I want to say about 25 pounds heavier than last year," McGlinchey shared. "COVID was tough on me. It was tough on the resources. It was tough on getting into gyms. It was tough on making sure that (weight) stays up."
While McGlinchey enjoyed a career-high Pro Football Focus run-blocking grade of 91.3 last season, his passing-blocking grade of 58.3 was a career-low. He acknowledges that there is room for improvement.
"I thought I was feeling really good," McGlinchey said. "I felt really healthy at the weight I was at. I was moving a lot faster for our run game and had a great year with that, but, obviously, some things happen where I was guarding too much of a bull rush. Even if I wasn't getting bulled, I was stopping my feet too much in preparation for the bull. It's just something that's given me a little more mental confidence."
With nearly a week's worth of training camp practices under his belt, McGlinchey feels comfortable at his new weight.
"Definitely have to get my feet underneath me a little bit and get used to it, but I think I've done a good job for the first week," McGlinchey added.
The right tackle won't really know how the weight gain will impact his pass protection until the pads go on during the upcoming week. McGlinchey hasn't had a defender fully go at him yet. He admits that improving in that area isn't just a matter of bulking up. His technique needs to be perfected, and that's what he aims to accomplish in the coming weeks.
Twenty-five pounds is a significant amount of added weight, especially for a tall player like McGlinchey, who admits he has always had trouble keeping weight on. However, benefitting him is the fact that he lives in the Bay Area year-round. That means he's been able to regularly work with the team's head of strength and conditioning, Dustin Perry, all offseason.
"I eat a lot. I drink a lot of those shakes and all that," McGlinchey said. "I do what I can to keep my weight up and feel good, and obviously, come up with a plan to work out probably six days a week from January to April. Then when you start playing football, you've got to find your spots here and there.
"It was a great offseason. I worked really hard at it. I dedicated a lot of stuff to it. I'm proud of it, and proud of the way that [I] worked with my staff, and I'm ready to get the ball rolling."
The 49ers coaching staff made it clear to McGlinchey that they didn't want him to sacrifice his mobility no matter what he did. The tackle feels confident that won't be the case and can't wait to test it out against defenders when the pads go on.
Added McGlinchey: "One day, I hope to look like Joe Staley in retirement, but those days are hopefully a long way away, and I'm going to have to keep this weight up as long as I can."
