Why Foerster believes ‘special’ Puni can thrive in the NFL originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
SAINT CLARA — Chris Foerster spent 26 seasons coaching NFL offensive lines, which means he knows exactly what to look for when evaluating a young player’s sustainability in the league.
A player who received praise from Foerster at the start of 49ers training camp? Rookie guard Dominick Puni, who is from San Francisco selected 86th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The only on-field work Puni got as a 49er was in the offseason program and the first three practices of camp, so what exactly has the rookie done to earn Foerster’s admiration in such a short period of time since being drafted in April?
Technique and intelligence were among the key traits Foerster highlighted while praising Puni’s potential, but the rookie also possesses physical attributes that leave his coach excited about his future prospects.
“He’s a strong, big body. He just has a lot, he’s not bigger than most of them, but he’s going to define the pocket really well,” Foerster said before Friday’s practice. “He plays with a great anchor. He is extremely intelligent. He is a really good player. He’s a special guy and hasn’t been in the position for a long time.”
Puni stood 6-foot-3 and weighed 315 pounds, offering an athletic profile that makes Foerster confident the rookie can have a similar size advantage to left guard Aaron Banks, who has developed into an exceptional offensive lineman after a slow start early in his career. career. NFL career.
Despite Foerster’s excitement about Puni’s potential, the 49ers offensive line coach acknowledged there will likely be a learning curve as the rookie guard gets acclimated to San Francisco’s scheme.
“And with our system, it’s a small change for him,” Foerster said. “So there will be a learning curve, but he has some real things going for him. Many of our guards in our system tend to be faster. help.”
Puni threw all his two-year career at Kansas on the left side of the offensive line, spending his entire 2022 campaign at left guard before taking over as the starting left tackle in 2023. Moving to the right side of the offensive line and having to adjust everything from timing to footwork in a new role is not an easy task.
Banks, who went from playing right guard at Notre Dame to becoming an above-average left tackle in the NFL, took time to develop and get used to the change. His own success story can serve as motivation for Puni that no matter how difficult the growing pains are, there is light at the end of the tunnel if persistence is maintained.
One of Puni’s most attractive traits is his lateral quickness, as evidenced by his 4.40 short carry time at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, third-fastest among all offensive linemen in his draft class and fastest among any non-central player participating in the drill.
This quick transfer did not go unnoticed by coach Kyle Shanahan, who praised Puni’s quickness after the draft.
“I like how quick he is,” Shanahan said. “I think he had one of the best [20-yard] bus in Indy, which shows that.”
Puni was thrown into the fire during the early stages of training camp, getting reps at the right guard position with the first unit against interior defensive line veterans like Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins and Jordan Elliott.
It’s not an indictment on Puni if he can’t take down veterans Jon Feliciano or Spencer Burford during his first NFL preseason, but the fact that he’s getting reps in a competition with two proven options says a lot about how the powers that be in San Francisco they see its immediate floor as much as the long-term advantage that Foerster talked about.
