Rookie 49ers right guard Dominick Puni’s impressive 2024 NFL season leaves president of football operations and general manager John Lynch to believe San Francisco found the blueprint for future offensive lineman additions.
Puni, who was selected No. 86 overall by the 49ers in the 2024 NFL Draft, was a reliable part of what was a makeshift San Francisco O-line.
“I think it shows that our process worked there,” Lynch told reporters Wednesday. “But, I would say he really exceeded our expectations. We thought we got a good player and I think he showed us a little more than that. We were just talking about it upstairs, everyone saw the real strong play, the consistent play. I think there's more in the tank of where he can grow.”
The process sure did work.
Among guards, Puni ranked 21st in offensive snaps with 1,078 -- all on the right side of the O-line -- over his first campaign. He allowed just three sacks, and according to Pro Football Focus, posted the ninth-best run-blocking grade (81.5) out of 135 eligible guards and the 39th-best pass-blocking grade (68.9).
Puni’s overall 80.5 PFF grade was the league’s 11th-best. His only true blemish was his seven penalties, which ranked 113th of 135 guards.
Lynch is excited about what’s to come with Puni. The O-lineman will enter his second season having an in-house reputation for being gritty and powering through pain, which adds to his impressive stats and the conveying eye test, according to Lynch.
San Francisco 49ers
“I think the toughness, he had an AC joint one week and we were really questioning whether he could play on Sunday and he practiced on Wednesday, and I've had that same injury. I always prided myself on having a high pain tolerance. That stuff hurts. And he didn't miss a practice,” Lynch said. “So, I think he's got the right mindset too. And we’ve got to continue to find guys like Dom because he's going to be a good player for us.”
Lynch considers Puni’s success as a repeatable blueprint going forward. And that’s a good thing for the 49ers, given San Francisco could use all the Dominick Punis it can find.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.