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Dominick Puni

49ers Notes: Hufanga, Puni, Davis

August 18th, 2024 at 9:44am CST by Rory Parks

The 49ers continue to work on resolutions to their high-profile contract disputes with WR Brandon Aiyuk and LT Trent Williams, and the club is also waiting on 2022 First Team All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga. As Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle details, Hufanga — who sustained a torn ACL in November — was cleared to take the next steps in his rehab, but that does not yet include practice.

“We can push him a little bit harder,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Not against players. But those type of dynamic cuts. Hopefully, he has a real good week with it and we can talk about easing him into practice.”

With the start of the regular season fast approaching, the fact that Hufanga has not been cleared to practice yet suggests that he may not be ready for Week 1 as originally hoped. George Odum has been taking first-team reps in Hufanga’s absence, though fourth-round rookie Malik Mustapha is pushing the veteran for playing time.

2024 is the final season of Hufanga’s rookie contract, so an early and productive return to the starting lineup will be a major boon to his future earning power.

Now for a few more items, including several injury-related notes, from the Bay Area:

  • Thanks in part to injuries to Spencer Burford and Jon Feliciano, third-round rookie Dominick Puni saw immediate action as the first-team right guard in the early days of training camp. It was noted at the time that the former Central Missouri blocker, who finished his collegiate career as a tackle at Kansas, was catching on quickly to the Niners’ complex blocking scheme, and it seems he has continued to build momentum. Per Matt Barrows of The Athletic (subscription required), Puni is the presumptive RG starter, although the team wants to see further growth from him.
  • Puni’s fellow starting guard, LG Aaron Banks, recently sustained a broken little finger, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. Like Hufanga, Banks is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and though he has served as the full-time starter at left guard over each of the past two seasons, he has not exactly been a world-beater. A strong showing in 2024 will help him secure a notable second NFL contract, even if it does not come from the 49ers (the club has not been overly willing to pay up for interior lineman in recent years, and we heard last month that Puni could eventually take over for Banks at LG). Luckily, Banks could return for Week 1.
  • The news is not as good for DT Kalia Davis, who will undergo knee surgery and who will miss half of the 2024 season as a result (as relayed by Barrows). Davis, a 2022 sixth-rounder, sustained a torn ACL during his final year of college and missed his entire rookie season as a result. He appeared in a total of 54 defensive snaps across three games last year, but he performed well in last week’s preseason opener (a sack and two backfield hits). His efforts to carve out a more meaningful role in San Francisco’s D-line rotation will be put on hold, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reporting that surgery is necessary to remove a floating body in Davis’ knee.

49ers Rumors: RG, Hufanga, Pearsall

July 27th, 2024 at 5:24pm CST by Ely Allen

For much of the offseason, we have broadcast the 49ers’ right guard position battle as a challenge between Spencer Burford, who watched the job slip through his fingers last season, and Jon Feliciano, the man who took his job. In the meantime, we’ve logged third-round rookie Dominick Puni as a promising name to watch if he breaks out in training camp.

According to Cam Inman of The Mercury News, Puni’s time may be coming up sooner than expected. This revelation comes as Puni’s competition, Burford and Feliciano, both deal with injuries so far in training camp. Burford has suffered a fractured right hand, an ailment that could require surgery. If Burford undergoes surgery, that could keep him out for a bit of training camp, if not longer.

Feliciano has been dealing with a knee issue in recent days. The nine-year veteran has been preparing for what he has announced to be his final NFL season. As an experienced starter, Feliciano could just be playing it safe, getting the benefit of the doubt from coaches while making sure he’ll be ready for the regular season. The more time Feliciano sits out, though, the more first-team reps he’ll be allowing for his competition. Regardless of the position battle, Feliciano’s status last year as the sixth-man of the offensive line makes his health paramount at the moment.

With both Burford and Feliciano out, it’s been Puni taking those first-team reps. The team has praised Puni’s versatility after the Kansas-product made a strong first impression this spring. Offensive line coach Chris Foerster has lauded Puni’s strong frame and intelligence as he makes the adjustment to the NFL game.

Here are a couple of other injury updates from the Bay Area:

49ers Rookie Dominick Puni Could Be Future Plan At LG

July 5th, 2024 at 8:34pm CST by Ely Allen

Much of the focus on San Francisco’s offensive line this offseason has been on who will start the season at right guard. With Spencer Burford and Jon Feliciano the two likeliest candidates to win the job, Matt Barrows of The Athletic dove into the plan for rookie third-round guard Dominick Puni going forward.

Though Puni did spend a season at Kansas playing left guard, the rest of his six-year tenure in college was spent at tackle. After starting three games in seven appearances at right tackle as a true freshman at Central Missouri, Puni became a full-time starter at left tackle as a sophomore. His third year was cancelled due to COVID-19, and his junior year was cut short as he missed all but two games with a knee injury. He then transferred to Lawrence, where he spent his redshirt junior year at left guard and his final season at left tackle.

While his frame and experience allow him the opportunity and ability to play tackle at the NFL-level, if needed, he was largely viewed throughout the draft process as a professional guard or center, a type of versatility that the 49ers have shown they value in players like Feliciano. Back in our last look at the team’s right guard competition, Puni’s name was thrown out as an unlikely contender for the job if he were able to display a stronger starting ability and consistency than Burford and Feliciano, a tough task for rookie offensive linemen in the NFL.

In Barrows’ recent dive, he noted that offensive line coach Chris Foerster confirmed that Puni would compete for the job at right guard, though he undercut that a bit by comparing Puni to starting left guard Aaron Banks. Banks, drafted in the second round in 2021, competed and worked at right guard as a rookie but didn’t end up making an impact on the offense until his sophomore campaign in the NFL as the starter at left guard.

While drawing this parallel seems to imply that Puni will have a minimal, reserve role in 2024, it bodes well for the 24-year-old’s future. With Banks scheduled to hit free agency at the end of his 2024 campaign and the 49ers showing an unwillingness to pay big money for interior linemen in recent years, Puni could perfectly mirror Banks’ career path by becoming the starting left guard after a rookie season of backup right guard play, replacing a departed Banks.

Latest On 49ers’ RG Position Battle

June 1st, 2024 at 5:58pm CST by Ely Allen

Last year, the 49ers saw an unexpected battle emerge at right guard. After watching Spencer Burford start for much of the season, versatile veteran interior lineman Jon Feliciano emerged as a better starting option near the end of the season and ended up grading out as Pro Football Focus’ fifth-best guard in the NFL (subscription required). The team has prepped for another position battle between the two this offseason, throwing third-round rookie Dominick Puni into the mix, as well.

Feliciano should be the favorite for the job. Although run game coordinator and offensive line coach Chris Foerster doesn’t see Feliciano as the most-talented option, his experience and consistency have been proven to get the job done for San Francisco. After earning the starting job late in the year last season, Feliciano started all three postseason games for the 49ers, as well. Only an injury saw the reemergence of Burford in the starting lineup, and it eventually resulted in Burford allowing a critical pressure to end the team’s hopes of winning the Super Bowl.

Still, Burford is going to be given every opportunity to win the job back. According to Cam Inman of The Mercury News, Foerster sees Burford as the most talented of the group. “We’re just looking for that consistency,” Foerster told the media. “Maybe it comes from Spencer this year. Obviously, he’s the most talented of the players. I think he’s as talented or more than Puni. Puni will push that from that. And Jon’s just a guy that is a veteran, good player that knows how to get it done.”

The 2022 fourth-round pick out of UTSA had been a starter in each of his first two seasons until getting benched for Feliciano. Even after losing his job as the starter, Foerster continued to find ways to get Burford on the field. If Burford can find that consistency that Foerster craves, he could find himself back in the starting lineup in 2024.

As Foerster mentions, though, Puni will push both players in terms of talent and consistency. Bookending a single season at left guard with four years at tackle while at Kansas, Puni may not have the ability to start at tackle in the NFL, but many view him as a starter on the interior at the next level. Unfortunately, Puni played all but seven games on the left side of the line in college, so he’s currently being slotted as the backup to left guard Aaron Banks. If he continues to show starting ability and consistency and can make the transition to the right side of the line, he could push both Feliciano and Burford for the starting right guard position.

Foerster and the 49ers have plenty of options. Feliciano showed last year that he has the stuff to get the job done as a starter and has lots of motivation to keep the job in what could be his final NFL season. If he does lose the starting position, though, his versatile experience across the interior of the offensive line should help him stay active as the effective sixth-man on the offensive line, a role he held for much of last season. If he does lose the starting role, it will be because one of the two options that Foerster sees as more talented have demonstrated enough consistency to be confidently slotted in as a starter.

49ers, T Chris Hubbard Agree To Deal

May 14th, 2024 at 10:32am CST by Adam La Rose

The 49ers are set to add experienced depth up front. San Francisco has a deal in place with offensive tackle Chris Hubbard, as first reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

This will be a one-year pact worth $1.375MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network adds. Hubbard started all nine of his games during his single season in Tennessee, adding to his lengthy NFL resume. The 33-year-old has logged 94 appearances and 58 starts during his time with the Steelers, Browns and Titans.

Hubbard suffered a biceps injury in November and it caused him to miss the remainder of the 2023 season. To no surprise, the ailment hindered his market and left him waiting until well after the draft to find a new deal. The former UDFA earned a PFF grade of 69, and his absence was missed on a Titans team which struggled up front last season.

San Francisco is set on the blindside with Trent Williams on the books. The team saw right tackle starter Mike McGlinchey depart on a big-ticket deal with the Broncos in free agency last offseason, creating a notable vacancy on that side of the line. The 49ers relied on Colton McKivitz to replace McGlinchey, and he started all 20 regular and postseason games in 2023.

McKivitz did enough in his first season as a starter to earn a one-year extension, keeping him in place through 2025. Hubbard will therefore serve in a swing tackle capacity upon arrival in the Bay Area. The latter has sporadically seen time on the blindside during his career, but his most common position has been at the right tackle spot.

The defending NFC champions entered the draft with O-line as a potential target area. The team selected Dominick Puni in the third round, and he has college experience at both tackle and guard. Today’s Hubbard news suggests the Kansas product will be used primarily on the interior as a rookie, something corroborated by Matt Barrows and David Lombardi of The Athletic (subscription required). At a minimum, both Hubbard and Puni will provide the 49ers with depth at multiple spots up front.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/10/24

May 10th, 2024 at 9:13pm CST by Ely Allen

Yesterday’s rush of rookie signings continued today. Here are Friday’s draft pick signings:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

  • K Will Reichard (sixth round, Alabama)
  • C Michael Jurgens (seventh round, Wake Forest)
  • DT Levi Drake Rodriguez (seventh round, Texas A&M-Commerce)

New England Patriots

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • G Mason McCormick (fourth round, South Dakota State)
  • DT Logan Lee (sixth round, Iowa)

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

49ers Acquire No. 86 Pick From Eagles

April 26th, 2024 at 9:41pm CST by Adam La Rose

The 49ers have traded up the third-round order, swapping places with the Eagles. San Francisco has dealt Nos. 94 and 132 to Philadelphia in exchange for the 86th pick.

Taking advantage of the move up the board, the 49ers have drafted Kansas offensive lineman Dominick Puni. He has experience at tackle but also on the inside, and it will be interesting to see where he is used at the pro game. This marks the first selection on either side of the ball with respect to line of scrimmage additions during this year’s draft for San Francisco.

The 49ers have been deemed a team which could be in the market for help along the offensive line, though they elected to add at the receiver spot on Thursday night by selecting wideout Ricky Pearsall. That was followed by the decision to help fill the cornerback spot (Renardo Green), but Puni has the potential to see action early in his career, particularly if he is shifted to guard. 

The latter began his college career at Division II Central Missouri. Puni spent four years there, seeing time at left and right tackle. That was followed by his decision to transfer to Kansas, and he was a first-teamer with the Jayhawks as well. Puni started all 13 of his appearances in 2022 at the left guard spot before kicking back to the blindside during this past season.

San Francisco has Trent Williams entrenched as a foundational offensive piece at the left tackle position, although his future has been called into question with retirement as an option in the not-too-distant future. Colton McKivitz is on the books for the next two years, meanwhile, and he is in line on the right side. Puni’s quickest path to playing time will thus come at guard, and he is regarded as having starting upside – something which would go a long way to filling a notable need for the NFC champions.