PFF: 49ers RG Dominick Puni is NFL's 10th-Best Guard

The 49ers made one of the best draft picks of the Kyle Shanahan/John Lynch Era last year.

Taking Dominick Puni in Round 3 was a stroke of genius. Not only was he the best rookie offensive lineman in the NFL last season, he is now the 10th-best guard in the league according to Pro Football Focus.

"The third-round pick in 2024 hit the ground running in his rookie campaign, setting up what should be a highly productive career," writes PFF's Mason Cameron.

"Puni posted the fifth-highest PFF overall grade (80.5) among qualifying guards. He stands out as a road-grading interior run blocker, with his 18.5% positively graded play rate on runs ranking fifth out of 77 guards."

That means Pro Football Focus could have ranked Puni as high as fifth on their list but chose to rank him conservatively at 10th because he has played just one season so far in his career. To truly be considered a top-5 guard or player at any position, you have to be elite for more than one year. So I like their rankings.

Still, I wouldn't be surprised if Puni were a consensus top-five guard in a few months. He's good at everything. He just might surpass Trent Williams as the 49ers' best offensive lineman this year if Williams regresses with age. He'll turn 37 in July.

Puni is merely 25. He's one of the 49ers' young cornerstone players along with Deommodore Lenoir, Brock Purdy and maybe Mykel Williams. He should be on the 49ers for years to come.