SANTA CLARA — Notre Dame offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey got picked No. 9 overall Thursday night by a 49ers team looking to protect quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and enhance coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
McGlinchey likely will take over at right tackle in place of Trent Brown before possibly transitioning to left tackle once Joe Staley retires in perhaps a couple years.
Staley, the 49ers’ longest-tenured player and an 11th-year veteran, received a pay raise last week for the remaining two years of his contract. Brown is recovering from shoulder surgery and unsigned beyond 2018. If the 49ers make Brown expendable in a trade, they could plug in McGlinchey immediately as a starter, with Garry Gilliam a backup tackle after he re-signed on a two-year deal.