Even though the San Francisco 49ers were without star running back Christian McCaffrey, they were thoroughly impressive in their season opener against the New York Jets.
Running back Jordan Mason filled in extremely well for McCaffrey, rushing for 147 yards and a touchdown in the 32-19 victory.
One reason Mason had such a big game was the strong performance from San Francisco’s offensive line, and a big factor in that was the play of rookie right guard Dominick Puni.
According to 49ers general manager John Lynch, star left tackle Trent Williams “was more than impressed” with the third-round pick’s NFL debut, via David Lombardi of The Athletic.
According to John Lynch on KNBR, Trent Williams — who is not easily impressed — was more than impressed with 49ers rookie RG Dominick Puni’s NFL debut against the Jets.
Lynch: Williams said “damnnn!” multiple times
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) September 13, 2024
Puni’s blocking helped create adequate alleys for Mason, and the Jets simply couldn’t come up with any type of remedy.
In fact, Puni was Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded offensive rookie for Week 1, which is an impressive accomplishment.
The highest-graded offensive rookie in Week 1:
Dominick Puni – 79.1 ⛏️ pic.twitter.com/9jF3UPEtAx
— PFF SF 49ers (@PFF_49ers) September 11, 2024
He was the No. 86 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of the University of Kansas and could very well be the answer to the woes that have afflicted the right side of the Niners’ offensive line.
At 6-foot-5 and 313 pounds, he should greatly help the offense be highly efficient in the running game while also giving quarterback Brock Purdy more time to find his preferred targets.
McCaffrey will miss the Week 2 game at the Minnesota Vikings, so Puni will need to continue to play well for the 49ers to put up enough points to open the young season with two straight wins.
