Dominick Puni’s first season with the 49ers was one of the best rookie performances during the 2024 NFL season.
Per Pro Football Focus, Puni had the No. 10 overall grade (80.5) for first-year players in the league.
“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,” PFF’s Gordon McGuiness wrote. “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.”
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The San Francisco offensive lineman effortlessly slotted into right guard, a position he never had played in college, and helped anchor the unit, starting all 17 games.
The intel on Puni during the 2024 NFL Draft was that he had the unique versatility to play every spot on an NFL offensive line, which held true throughout the season.
The 24-year-old was selected No. 86 overall in the draft, so his impressive performance during his first season in the league bodes well for the future. While the team had significant injury issues across the offense and struggled with consistency, the ascendant play of Puni has the 49ers brass feeling good heading into the offseason.
Puni’s continued development should give the team a great starting point on the offensive line heading into the 2025 season.
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