The San Francisco 49ers have made it a priority to beef up the defensive line the last few years and offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey has taken notice. The 49ers have used first round picks on Nick Bosa, Solomon Thomas, DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead and also signed Dee Ford to a 5 year, $85 million contract.

Mike McGlinchey has been one of the offensive lineman tasked with slowing down the standouts on the defensive line and he has been impressed with what he has seen.

“I’m not afraid to say they’re better athletes than I am,” McGlinchey said, via the Sacramento Bee. “It’s not just a Wide 9 where they’re sprinting up the field. They’re setting the edge with physicality. So it’s just a matter of playing with force and keeping your eyes where they need to be. It’s definitely going to be a nice little challenge with the athletes that we have on the outside.”

This is a good sign for the 49ers for a couple of big reasons. It means the defensive line is strong and is going to be a problem for opposing offensive lines.

It also should make the offensive line better going against stars like the 49ers have on the line each day in practice.

If McGlinchey feels he is getting outworked, that could also make him work harder, and it should make for some competitive practices.

A strong line on both sides of the ball could be the difference in the 49ers making the playoffs or falling short of that goal again.