The offensive line has been addressed
The San Francisco 49ers are telling us they don’t view their offensive line as a bigger priority than the positions on the perimeter based on their first two picks. A wide receiver from Florida and a cornerback from Florida State — both third projected as Day 3 picks — have caught fans by surprise.
At this stage in the draft, the offensive linemen who could challenge as starters for rookies are slim— although you can make that argument for any player selected in the ‘90s.
One way to fix that is not to pick in the ‘90s. The Niners traded up with the Philadelphia Eagles. San Francisco moved to pick No. 86 and gave the Eagles Nos. 94 and 134.
After a run on offensive linemen, the 49ers moved up to select Kansas OL Dominick Puni, a sixth-year senior. Kyle Shanahan is serious about drafting players who can contribute in Year 1.
Puni is a big kid. He is 6’ 5” and is 313 pounds. Here’s what I wrote about Puni, who was my 13th IOL in this class:
Puni, another sixth-year senior, is quite the athlete. Per Sports Info Solutions, he had the highest yards before contact per attempt among all guards. However, he’s better against the pass.
My biggest drawback was seeing what happens when he goes against defenders with longer arms. For being a plus athlete, his range was not what you’d expect. Add that he’s been in college since 2018, and you conclude there’s little upside.
Puni is in the 84th percentile for height and the 74th percentile for wingspan. He also tested well in the vertical and broad jump.
Puni started 13 games at left guard in 2022 and 12 games at left tackle in 2023. His issues with length wouldn’t show as much by moving him inside at guard. Then again, he’s a superior athlete and longer than Colton McKivitz, so the 49ers may give him an opportunity to fail at tackle before kicking him inside.
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