SANTA CLARA -- If you didn't know any better, you'd assume 49ers rookie Dominick Puni was a 10-year NFL veteran based on how he carries himself on and off the field.
The 2024 third-round draft pick has been among San Francisco's best players to begin his first professional season, which comes as no surprise given his incredible attention to detail and relentless work ethic.
"If you don't work hard, talent don't matter," Puni told NBC Sports Bay Area after the 49ers' 30-13 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday at Levi's Stadium. "So, we still got to work hard and go out there and play hard."
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Puni was outstanding in the victory, finishing Sunday's win over New England as San Francisco's highest-graded offensive player (85.8) at any position, per Pro Football Focus. The rookie guard didn't allow a single quarterback pressure on 29 pass-blocking snaps, playing a critical role in keeping quarterback Brock Purdy upright against the Patriots' formidable defensive front.
Puni isn't allowing himself to get complacent despite his early success, remaining focused on what can be improved rather than getting lost in celebrating the spoils of victory.
"I feel like there's still a lot of things to clean up, but just the way we were able to move the ball today ... we were moving as one," Puni said. "Like everybody was just on their keys and everyone just knew what they were doing. I would say we're hitting our stride."
The rookie guard now has four NFL regular-season starts under his belt, and pointed to the playbook as the area he's experiencing the greatest growing pains while making the leap from college to the pros.
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"I would just say the playbook still," Puni said. "It's just little details in every play that you just got to try and master. I don't feel like I've done that yet. Like timing of the play, when the ball is going to cut back, when it's going to hit front side, when you can come off your block, all that stuff. That's stuff I got to figure out."
Puni's persistent desire for improvement is a match made in heaven for the offensive-line wisdom at his disposal with the 49ers. Offensive line coach Chris Foerster has nearly three decades of NFL experience and has worked with numerous Hall of Famers during his time in the league.
Among the greats to play under Foerster is 11-time Pro Bowl selection Trent Williams. While it's natural to want to embody someone as talented as Williams, Puni explained he quickly learned there are players who simply exist in a league of their own -- and his teammate happens to be one of them.
"Trent, he's just different. I don't think there's too many people who can do what he can do. That's what I've learned, he's just different," Puni said. "He sees so much, he don't really need to ask questions. He knows what to do. I just pick up kind of things like his work ethic, how he does his routine, he's been doing it for 15 years. I'm just trying to channel him for real."
Whatever he has been doing to mimic the three-time All-Pro appears to have resonated with Williams, who lauded Puni's maturity when speaking to reporters earlier this season.
"He's just so mature for his age ... He's so ahead of the curve, though, he probably don't need much from me," Williams said.
Puni's immediate emergence gives the 49ers an above-average starting guard on a rookie contract, an invaluable asset for a franchise with waning financial flexibility in the heart of a Super Bowl window.
More importantly, Puni allows San Francisco to dream of a future where he becomes a foundational piece of the 49ers' offensive line for years to come, perhaps one day taking the baton from Williams as the unquestioned leader of the group.
After all, Williams is in his 14th NFL season, and Puni's timeline favorably mirrors that of Purdy's with the pair being just one year apart in age.
However, all of that can be sorted out in the future. For now, Puni's tenacity will continue to enhance his own personal progression -- one that has him on a path toward greatness.
"There's things to clean up every game," Puni said. "We had a good game this game, and there's still things to clean up. I'm ready to get in the film room."
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