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SANTA CLARA — Notre Dame offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey, come on down, you’re the next lineman enlisted to protect 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and enhance coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

The 49ers, after five straight drafts using their top pick on a defender, spent the No. 9 overall pick Thursday night on a long-term offensive fixture.

McGlinchey, Shanahan said, will launch his career at right tackle, unseating Trent Brown before possibly transitioning to left tackle once Joe Staley retires in perhaps a couple years.

“He’s got a special presence to him,” general manager John Lynch said. “He’s real. He’s authentic. And he’s a badass. We like that.”

McGlinchey (6-foot-8, 315 pounds) wasn’t at the NFL Draft in Dallas for his big day. Instead he was back home, stating on a conference call with Bay Area media: “I’m with 150 of my closest friends and family at Giuseppe’s (pizza parlor) in Richboro, Pennsylvania.”

McGlinchey, 23, did not take a pre-draft visit to the 49ers and his only contact was an interview at the NFL scouting combine, a 15-minute sitdown in which he “just owned the room,” Lynch said.

“I had no idea,” McGlinchey said of the 49ers’ affection. “It’s definitely a shock but I’m absolutely thrilled to be part of the San Fransico 49ers organization. It has a lot of great history with lot of great quarterbacks and a lot of great Super Bowls, so that’s what we’re going to continue to try to do.”

The 49ers beefed up their line and Garoppolo’s protection by signing center Weston Richburg in free agency. The need for a new tackle made Lynch’s wish list once they were without their top three tackles in an Oct. 29 loss at Philadelphia.

“A great lesson for me, and it will scar me for life really, is what happened in Philly last year,” Lynch said. “Trent was out (concussion), Staley breaks his face, Gilliam hurts his knee and we’re playing Erik Magnuson, a guard and center for us, at right tackle. You get in those things, those affect you.”

McGlinchey is a first cousin of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who had 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan as his offensive coordinator in 2015-16 in a run that culminated with a Super Bowl berth. Ryan texted Shanahan congratulations immediately after Thursday’s pick.

Shanahan, having fallen for McGlinchey through film and the combine interview, did not seek Ryan’s pre-draft recommendation. Why? “I didn’t want to blow our cover,” Shanahan quipped.

“My cousin Matt has said nothing but great things about Kyle and I’m really excited to get to work with him,” added McGlinchey, a first-team AP All-American. For complete 49ers coverage follow us on Flipboard.

McGlinchey called the 49ers “an up-and-coming” franchise and noted how they finished last season strong, going 5-0 once Garoppolo took over the starting role. “He looks amazing,” McGlinchey said of Garoppolo, who the 49ers signed to the richest contract in NFL history in February (five years, $137.5 million).

“We felt like both in the short term and in the long term at a premium position, particularly when you just invested in a quarterback, … it’s just an important position in football,” Lynch said of offensive tackle.

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.

Neither Lynch nor Shanahan ruled out trading Brown, instead suggesting that Brown will compete once he’s healthy come training camp. Meanwhile, McGlinchey will split reps in the offseason program with Garry Gilliam, a backup swing tackle who re-signed last month on a two-year deal.

McGlinchey was Pro Football Focus’ top-ranked run-blocking tackle last season, and that should bode well for new 49ers starting running back Jerick McKinnon, who tweeted: “Time to give defenses hell!”

Notre Dame used a similar, outside-zone blocking scheme “a decent amount,” McGlinchey said.

McGlinchey has studied Staley’s film “quite a bit” and played under some of Staley’s former coaches at Central Michigan, including Brian Kelly, Notre Dame’s current coach. “He’s a phenomenal player and an absolute pro, from what I hear,” McGlinchey said of Staley.

McGlinchey sounds ready to embrace a possible return to right tackle before eventually replacing Staley at left tackle. McGlinchey played right tackle at Notre Dame in 2014-15 before moving to left tackle his final two years, where he lined up next to left guard Quenton Nelson, who was taken three spots ahead of him at No. 6 overall by the Indianapolis Colts.

“I feel I mastered both sides and I’m ready to go at either one,” McGlinchey said.

Mike is the epitome of what we look for here at Notre Dame along the offensive line. The mission isn't done yet, Mike. Can't wait to see the strides you make in the league!#GoIrish #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/91ZghUoDI4 — Brian Kelly (@CoachBrianKelly) April 27, 2018

Notre Dame’s Kelly endorsed the 49ers’ pick, tweeting: “Mike is the epitome of what we look for here at Notre Dame along the offensive line. The mission isn’t done yet, Mike. Can’t wait to see the strides you make in the league!”

McGlinchey is the 15th Notre Dame player drafted by the 49ers, the most notable being Joe Montana (1979, third round), Ricky Watters (1991, second round) and Bryant Young (1994, first round). Jed York, the 49ers CEO and a Notre Dame graduate, joined Shanahan and general manager John Lynch in phoning McGlinchey upon Thursday’s selection of him.

Like Staley, McGlinchey transitioned to offensive tackle after playing tight end, doing so at William Penn Charter School, where he also played basketball. Like our San Francisco 49ers Facebook page for more 49ers news, commentary and conversation.

A captain both in high school and at Notre Dame, McGlinchey arrives with no apparent off-field concerns, something the 49ers organization will embrace after a trying offseason with linebacker Reuben Foster’s felony charges of domestic violence and weapon possession.

Lynch maintained that McGlinchey was their top choice among four players they eyed at No. 9, disputing any notion they wanted a linebacker to replace Foster. Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith did go No. 8 to the Chicago Bears, and Lynch said of Smith: “That’s a great football player, but Mike was the guy at 9.”

The 49ers were able to stay out of the draft’s top-heavy market for quarterbacks, having acquired Garoppolo last Oct. 30 from the New England Patriots in exchange for a measly second-round pick (No. 43 on Friday).

Three quarterbacks went in the first seven picks: Baker Mayfield (Browns, No. 1), Sam Darnold (Jets, No. 3) and Josh Allen (Bills, No. 7).

Garoppolo went 5-0 in December as their newfound starter, thus taking the 49ers out of contention for claiming the No. 2 overall draft spot for a second straight year; they subsequently dealt No. 2 to the Chicago Bears last year and instead drafted Solomon Thomas at No. 3.

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49ers’ Nick Bosa, Solomon Thomas indeed out for season with torn ACLs Defenders were taken with the 49ers’ top picks in the previous five drafts: safety Eric Reid (2013), defensive back Jimmie Ward (2014), defensive end Arik Armstead (2015), defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (2016) and defensive lineman Solomon Thomas (2017).

The 49ers entered the draft with nine picks, and their next schedule one is not until No. 59 overall in Friday’s second round.