Bengals hosting Mike McGlinchey in Cincinnati; at least 3rd time meeting him

The Cincinnati Bengals may have traded for left tackle Cordy Glenn earlier this offseason, but that doesn’t mean they’re done seeking new offensive tackle talent.

The Bengals already worked out Mike McGlinchey at Notre Dame in March, had multiple coaches attend his pro day and now they’ve brought him to Cincinnati for an official pre-draft visit. ESPN’s Katherine Terrell reported the news last night and many others saw McGlinchey in downtown Cincinnati during his visit.

It’s likely the Bengals met with McGlinchey at the combine, too, as it would make sense they’d meet with all of the top offensive tackle prospects in Indianapolis, though that hasn’t been confirmed. With that said, it’s clear the Bengals are very interested in the idea of drafting McGlinchey with the 21st overall pick in this year’s draft.

Interestingly, Joe Goodberry pointed out that both William Jackson (the Bengals’ 2016 round one pick) and John Ross (the Bengals’ 2017 round pick) visited the Bengals right around this date the last two years.

McGlinchey was part of a highly impressive offensive line at Notre Dame that also included expected top 10 pick Quenton Nelson at guard. McGlinchey is actually cousins with Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, which is something he discussed with the media at the combine. I came away from meeting with McGlinchey thinking he could be an Andrew Whitworth-type leader and that he had a natural ability to lead and communicate. He certainly dazzled the media in Indianapolis, which I’m sure he’s doing with NFL teams, too.

In his NFL.com draft profile, Lance Zerlein got this quote from an AFC executive:

“Notre Dame will even tell you that McGlinchey is better on the right side than the left side. He’s just more comfortable and consistent there so that’s probably where you play him. I think everyone tries to beat him up too much. He’s going to play in our league and be a decent starter.” - AFC team personnel executive

The right side would be just where Cincinnati would look to use him early on as Glenn is now positioned into the left tackle spot. At 6’8” and 312 pounds, the team that drafts McGlinchey may ask him to add more strength to his build (and tighten up his core, too) but his technique is thought to be NFL ready and he’s been praised for his instinctual ability.