49ers Week 1 practice report unchanged, George Kittle still out

The 49ers still didn’t have George Kittle on the field for Thursday’s practice.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday said tight end George Kittle is day-to-day with a groin injury. That left at least some hope he could participate in at least some portion of Thursday’s session. He didn’t return to the field Thursday and the 49ers’ practice participation report remain unchanged.

Here’s Thursday’s report:

49ers practice report: George Kittle absent, Mike McGlinchey a full go

The 49ers practice participation report for Wednesday:

The 49ers issued their first practice participation report of the season following Wednesday’s session.

They managed to get through the preseason in relatively good health, but their first practice report had a couple noteworthy names on it.

Not included in the report are free safety Jimmie Ward and linebacker Curtis Robinson. Both players are on IR and not available to practice. Cornerback Jason Verrett and defensive lineman Kalia Davis are also on injured lists to start the year and unavailable.

Here’s Wednesday’s practice report:

Mike McGlinchey’s health a concern heading into final preseason game

Mike McGlinchey (knee) won’t play in 49ers’ preseason finale.

Mike McGlinchey’s absence from Week 2 of the preseason wasn’t a huge surprise. The 49ers sat most of their starters. However, there’s more to McGlinchey’s absence and now he won’t play in the preseason finale vs. Houston when head coach Kyle Shanahan expects most of the starters to suit up.

Shanahan on a conference call Sunday said third-year offensive lineman Colton McKivitz would start the preseason finale while McGlinchey deals with some knee irritation he sustained in the preseason opener vs. Green Bay.

Perhaps McGlinchey is resting in an effort to be ready for Week 1, but McKivitz’s absence from Week 2’s preseason contest in a game where a slew of starters sat is at least some indication the club is angling to have him ready to start the regular season opener in Chicago.

There are a lot of moving parts on the offensive line heading into the final week of the preseason, and McGlinchey’s health is certainly worth keeping a close eye on with less than three weeks left until the 49ers’ Week 1 game.

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Notre Dame football: Harry Hiestand discusses offensive line

How much of a strength will this unit be in 2022?

At most places the hiring of an offensive line coach would be considered news but the excitement of it wouldn’t come close to the hiring of other position coaches.  But then again most places aren’t Notre Dame, specifically when it comes to offensive line lineage and few position coaches are as good at their craft as [autotag]Harry Hiestand[/autotag] is at his.

So after four years of [autotag]Jeff Quinn[/autotag] as offensive line coach, Notre Dame welcomes back Hiestand who helped develop the likes of [autotag]Zack Martin[/autotag], [autotag]Quenton Nelson[/autotag], [autotag]Ronnie Stanley[/autotag], and [autotag]Mike McGlinchey[/autotag] among others, is back and expectations are high for a unit that had plenty of issues a season ago.

So how does Hiestand see his offensive line this year?  Here is what the Notre Dame offensive line coach had to say.

Every Notre Dame player currently on an NFL training camp roster

Lots of former Irish talent in the NFL

Part of being an alumnus of a supremely successful collegiate football is seeing them getting an opportunity at the next level. For Notre Dame, the list of former players getting their shot in the NFL is large, very large. Find out below every former Irish star (in alphabetical order) and which NFL team they are with in training camp.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

We’ll soon find out if the 49ers can draft and develop offensive linemen

Whether the #49ers can develop offensive linemen will be key to their success this year. @nicholasmcgee24 explores this in his latest:

Though the 49ers have had their fair share of misses during the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch era, they have typically drafted well. The Niners have found stars and key contributors and done an excellent job of identifying talent in the later rounds.

One area in which the jury is still out, however, is in the Niners’ ability to draft and develop offensive linemen.

For starters, the 49ers simply haven’t drafted that many OL since Shanahan and Lynch took over. San Francisco has made 49 draft selections since 2017 and spent only seven of them on offensive linemen. That’s just over 14 percent of their draft capital.

That might sound like a reasonable percentage, but only two of those selections have been in the first two rounds. The Niners spent the No. 9 overall pick on right tackle Mike McGlinchey in 2018 and a second-rounder on another Notre Dame alum, guard Aaron Banks, last year.

San Francisco has predominantly leaned on experienced players to keep its offensive line in the top half of the NFL. The 49ers still had Joe Staley in place at left tackle in 2017, and when he retired in 2020 they seamlessly transitioned to Trent Williams following a draft-day trade for a player who is the undisputed best at his position in the wake of a stellar 2021.

The oft-injured Weston Richburg and seven-time Pro Bowler Alex Mack were the players they invested in at center. Mack joined Richburg in retirement this offseason. San Francisco did a tremendous job developing Laken Tomlinson into a reliable starting left guard, but he was acquired in an astute 2017 trade.

Daniel Brunskill has blossomed from a former AAF player into a solid right guard, but McGlinchey – who started as a rookie – is the only player the Niners can claim to have drafted and developed into a viable starter on the offensive line. Other draftees have started games, but only as fill-ins for injured players.

Yet with holes to be filled at left guard and center this season, and the long-term future at right guard and right tackle in doubt with both Brunskill and McGlinchey set to be free agents in 2023, this year is one in which the Niners’ proficiency for developing draft picks on the offensive line will be tested.

Under the largest spotlight on the O-Line is the prospective left guard, Banks. He did not start as a rookie as Brunskill held on to the right guard spot. Shanahan, per NBC Sports Bay Area, thought Banks was ready to start during the second half of last season but wanted to avoid continuity problems by making the move amid a winning streak that got the Niners into the postseason.

Sliding into his more natural position of left guard, Banks will be under pressure to vindicate his coach’s assessment. He will have the safety net of playing next to the All-Pro Williams, but the decision to draft Banks so highly will come under intense scrutiny should he prove a weak link following his expected promotion to the starting lineup. It is on the Niners’ coaching staff to ensure he is ready for that step up.

Though Mack’s replacement is not an entirely untested player, the success of the transition from a veteran with an in-depth knowledge of the Shanahan scheme to a player with just three career starts in Jake Brendel will also be a reflection on the coaching staff.

Brendel is a favorite of offensive line coach Chris Foerster and, given he was Mack’s backup for the entirety of last season, the Niners have had plenty of time to groom him to be ready for this opportunity. It is imperative Brendel, who was solid last preseason, rises to the challenge and builds a successful relationship with Trey Lance in the quarterback’s first year as a starter.

An under-the-radar task facing the 49ers’ coaching staff is that of developing potential replacements in case one of or both Brunskill and McGlinchey depart next offseason. Brunskill would likely be relatively easy to re-sign, but the Niners may want to try to upgrade on a player on the receiving end of often unfair criticism.

McGlinchey’s future clearly hinges on his durability and his performance in 2022. His weight was already seen as an issue before he tore his quad last year, and it is tough to imagine the Niners feeling comfortable committing to paying him long-term without a season in which he is healthy and offers consistency in pass protection.

The 49ers have 2020 fifth-round pick Colton McKivitz as a candidate to play right guard while Nick Zakelj could also be in the mix there, though San Francisco’s 2022 sixth-round pick spent his college career on the left side at tackle. 2021 fifth-round pick Jaylon Moore might also get a shot at RG.

It is fourth-round pick Spencer Buford who may be the most important young backup for San Francisco in terms of the right side of the O-Line. The Niners view Burford as an interior lineman after playing at tackle for UTSA. In college he displayed impressive lateral movement in pass protection, power in his hands, and the ability to drop his anchor to shut down pass rushers. Burford is a physical, tone-setting player but is also smooth on the move in the run game and excelled quickly getting to the second level to take on linebackers in college.

Burford has the skill set to suggest he could grow into a starter who can operate at guard and tackle and, as they plot their future on the offensive line, it would greatly behoove the 49ers to make sure his abilities are harnessed.

The Niners are fortunate to have the premier left tackle in the game but the loss of two of their most reliable players up front has forced them to put faith in linemen they have molded. Depending on how McGlinchey and Brunskill perform in 2022, they may need to do the same in 2023. San Francisco has invested draft capital in the O-Line in each of the last three drafts, it’s now time for the Niners to prove they can successfully develop talent on the offensive side of the trenches.

Javon Kinlaw, Mike McGlinchey ahead of schedule, should be ready for training camp

The #49ers expect to have Javon Kinlaw and Mike McGlinchey back for training camp.

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Defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw and right tackle Mike McGlinchey both missed virtually all of last season with leg injuries. Now the 49ers will get the two big (literally) pieces back in the trenches in time for training camp per head coach Kyle Shanahan.

After Tuesday’s practice, Shanahan spoke with media members and said the two former first-round picks are on track to return for training camp.

“Those guys have been great,” Shanahan said of the rehabbing linemen. “We didn’t expect to have them until training camp, but just looking at them out there and how they’re moving. We consider them ahead of schedule and it’s been very positive on both of those guys.”  

He did clarify that he doesn’t expect either to be on the field before camp. Voluntary workouts last through early June, and mandatory minicamp is in mid June.

Kinlaw had reconstructive surgery on his ACL to fix an issue that ailed him for all of training camp last year and eventually knocked him out of the regular season. The 2020 first-round pick had a strong rookie campaign, and now will look to bounce back as a key cog on the interior of the 49ers’ defensive line. He could make a sizable impact after DJ Jones’ exit in free agency.

McGlinchey tore his quad last season and left a vacancy at right tackle that the 49ers had a little trouble filling. While he’s not the best pass blocker in the NFL, he is one of the best run blockers at his position and his presence should help stabilize a 49ers offensive front that’s in flux going into this year.

There’ll be question marks around both Kinlaw and McGlinchey going into 2022 and they’ll need to prove themselves as long-term answers for San Francisco, but the 49ers are undoubtedly better with both on the field.

CBS Sports projects a Notre Dame prospect as a Top-10 NFL Draft pick

Is he off to the NFL after this season?

The Irish have a long history of sending quality players to the NFL but has seen just three, Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey in 2018 and Jerry Tillery in 2019, in the first round over the last five years. It seems like there is one Notre Dame prospect that will be the next first-round draft pick, tight end Michael Mayer.

Just this past week, CBS Sports Tom Fornelli took a look at the Top-20 NFL Draft eligible players and ranked Mayer 10th overall. Well all know about the comparisons to Rob Gronkowski, but Fornelli thinks “Mayer has the potential to live up to it.”

The rising junior is exactly what many NFL teams are looking for out of the tight end position, a field stretcher who can “beat linebackers, safeties and corners” as Fornelli put it. We’ve seen his exploits for the last two seasons and if Mayer can stay healthy, he is most likely playing his final season in Blue and Gold this fall.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

49ers roster moves: Mike McGlinchey officially goes on IR

The #49ers made a couple roster moves when they officially placed Mike McGlinchey on IR.

The 49ers on Wednesday officially placed right tackle Mike McGlinchey on injured reserve as part of a series of roster moves in the wake of McGlinchey’s season-ending quad injury.

San Francisco promoted second-year offensive lineman Colton McKivitz from the practice squad to fill the roster spot vacated by McGlinchey. They also released practice squad linebacker Christian Elliss.

McGlinchey suffered his injury in the second quarter of the 49ers’ Week 9 loss to the Bears. It was originally called a knee injury, but further testing revealed a quad tear that will end the 2018 first-round pick’s fourth season after eight games.

McKivitz will fill his roster spot and provides depth at multiple positions. The 2020 fifth-round selection played in 14 games last season with three starts on the interior of the offensive line. That’s where he figures to add depth, but he played right tackle at West Virginia and could see time there in a pinch.

The 49ers added Elliss to their practice squad ahead of last week’s game. With McKivitz’s elevation to the active roster San Francisco will probably aim to add an offensive lineman to the vacated practice squad spot.

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49ers RT Mike McGlinchey out for season with torn quad

Following Sunday’s loss, the 49ers suffered another brutal blow losing Mike McGlinchey for the season with a torn quad.

Following Sunday’s loss, the San Francisco 49ers suffered another brutal blow in the injury department.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, 49ers right tackle Mike McGlinchey suffered a torn quad and will miss the remainder of the season.

McGlinchey was injured during the second quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals, where he was replaced by Tom Compton.

More to come.

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