Dominick Puni was recognized for his rookie excellence.
The 2024 NFL Draft class for the San Francisco 49ers has turned heads with Renardo Green, Malik Mustapha, Ricky Pearsall, and Dominick Puni flashing during the season with their opportunities. Green, Mustapha, and Puni turned into starters during the season, but the former Kansas offensive lineman Puni started every game at right guard and took 1,078 snaps.
During his two-year stint at Kansas, Puni played 1,593 snaps and didn’t allow a single sack and a single QB hit. Playing at left tackle in 2023, Puni finished with a sparkling 90.4 offensive grade. Only allowing six pressures through two seasons in two different positions is impressive.
Puni’s draft profile projected as a starter in the NFL. On a scale of 5.60-8.0, Lance Zierlein graded Puni at 6.20 and projected the lineman to go in the third or fourth round, which proved prophetic as the 49ers selected Puni in the third round at pick 23.
Zierlein added: “Guard prospect with good size and nimble feet whose pass protection is ahead of his run blocking at this stage. Puni has a proportional, well-built frame but is much better on the move and playing with angles and positioning than he is at pushing defenders around. Puni plays with excellent feel for arm extension and maintains his feel for pass rushers. His mirror and hand placement stymie simple rush approaches, but inconsistent body control could be an issue for him against athletic sub-package rushers. Puni appears to have middle-round value but future starting talent for a move-oriented scheme.”
Puni played in all 17 games and finished with an offensive grade of 80.5, which ranked sixth overall in the NFL for offensive guards. While an 81.5 run-blocking grade also landed Puni at number six, Puni’s 68.9 pass-blocking grade drops to 22nd in the NFL. The rookie guard stormed out of the gates in 2023 and slowed down a bit as the season progressed, which could be attributed to the “rookie wall” for rookies in the NFL.
Over 656 pass-blocking snaps, Puni allowed three sacks, zero QB hits, 32 hurries, and 35 pressures, and committed seven penalties. His 2023 performance is encouraging, as the 49ers have landed a starter for many years on the offensive line.
Pro Football Focus ranked the best rookies of the NFL regular season, including Jayden Daniels, Brock Bowers, Malik Nabers, Bucky Irving, and other impact rookies. Puni finished at number ten behind Ladd McConkey and ahead of Marvin Harrison, Jr.
Gordon McGuiness of Pro Football Focus ranked Puni in the top ten and wrote: “The 49ers’ third-round draft pick faltered down the stretch, but his strong start to the year helped him finish the year with a top-10 grade among rookies. He was solid as a pass-blocker, allowing 35 pressures from 656 pass-blocking snaps, and he earned an 81.5 PFF run-blocking grade.”
With a full offseason and a second season to acclimate himself to the NFL and the 49ers scheme, the arrow points straight up for Puni, and the 49ers will lean on the second-year guard to help anchor the 49ers offensive line for years to come.