49ers HC Kyle Shanahan is Excited About Dominick Puni
![Mar 2, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kansas offensive lineman Dominick Puni (OL59) talks to the media during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports Mar 2, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kansas offensive lineman Dominick Puni (OL59) talks to the media during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4960,h_2790,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_49ers/01j56810jpa2d9rm94g8.jpg)
SANTA CLARA -- Of all the 49ers' rookies, Dominick Puni has the best chance to start Week 1 against the New York Jets.
The 49ers generally prefer not to start rookies unless they absolutely have to. But last year's starting right guards -- Jon Feliciano and Spencer Burford -- both are injured. And so Puni has taken every first-string rep at right guard in training camp, and he has played well.
"We were excited about him right away," said head coach Kyle Shanahan. "But when you lose the two guys in front of him who both started a lot of games last year, a guy gets thrown in there before you want to throw them in there. Sometimes that can make guys better, but sometimes when they get put in a position that they aren't quite ready for you get overwhelmed and it takes you a while to kind of get that confidence back. He's been good since his first snap. So it hasn't seemed too big for him. He's gotten better each day in practice. And when you see that, you really want to see how it is in the game and see if anything changes. He looked the same in the game as practice. So we're excited about that."
Puni wouldn't have gotten this opportunity to start so quickly without injuries to the veterans ahead of him on the depth chart. But now that he has played day after day with the starters and performed well, there's no reason to take him out of the lineup. Offensive lines need continuity and Puni provides that.