The San Francisco 49ers were expected to address the offensive line early in the 2024 NFL Draft, but they raised eyebrows by waiting until the third round to bolster the trenches by selecting Dominick Puni .
But there is increasing evidence that the 49ers may have found a gem in the player they selected with the 86th overall pick.
Injuries to Jon Feliciano and Spencer Burford have seen Puni continually receive first-team reps in practice at right guard, and Feliciano has not displaced the rookie as a first-stringer since returning from a knee injury.
Those developments would appear to put Puni in a position to start at a position that has long since been a problem area for the 49ers, and recent comments from offensive line coach and run game coordinator Chris Foerster will raise hopes that the former Kansas Jayhawk will prove a day-two steal for San Francisco.
Asked how Puni is handling his first camp, Foerster replied: "Awesome. As good as one of the better rookies. I’m not ready to crown him yet as far as one of the better rookies, but he is one of the better rookies.
"Right after we drafted him, the video guy said that he called right away when he got his iPad, they’d sent them out as we get the kid signed. He said, ‘where do I get all of coaches teaching meetings?’ We record everything. He wanted every single meeting.
"By the time he showed up for rookie minicamp, which I think was two weeks after the draft, he’d watched all of my install meetings from Phase One, Phase Two, and everything we’d done to that point. He’d watched them all. And he answers every question right.
"He is a very intelligent kid. Doesn’t say a word. Very, very smart. Very tough. Strong. And he doesn’t sway. He is just steady Eddie. But he works extremely hard and he’s very diligent. I don’t think I’ve had an offensive lineman – I know I couldn’t sit through all those meetings – He grabbed them and ate them up. So good for him.”
The 49ers made it clear after drafting Puni that they had high hopes for him, expressing belief in his ability to play all five positions up front.
But his incredible levels of preparation have seemingly put Puni in a position where he may be set to lock down a pivotal role on the interior offensive line. There's a long way to go, but the signs are good for Puni being an immediate difference maker in year one .
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