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Why 49ers Rookie Right Guard Dominick Puni is a Game Changer

What a great third-round pick.

Grant Cohn

Aug 23, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason (24) celebrates with team mates after scoring a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Aug 23, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason (24) celebrates with team mates after scoring a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
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Jordan Mason got all the glory when he ran for 147 yards and a touchdown against the Jets. But he couldn't have performed that well without rookie right guard Dominick Puni.

It's early in the season, but so far Puni, who was a third-round pick, clearly is the best rookie on the 49ers. Not only is he a starter, but he looks like he could be a Pro Bowler at some point. He's a difference-maker right now. And he plays offensive line, the weakest position on the 49ers, a position they haven't drafted particularly well under Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch. So Puni is a Godsend. As opposed to Mason, who's the latest in a long line of quality running backs the 49ers have developed under running backs coach Bobby Turner.

The 49ers almost always have a good running back on the field, but they haven't had a good right guard since Jim Harbaugh was their head coach. Back then, they had Alex Boone, who was a good run blocker.

Under Shanahan, the 49ers right guards have been liabilities. I'm talking Spencer Burford, Daniel Brunskill and Mike Person. The 49ers tried to work around their weaknesses as much as possible. So when they ran the ball, their best runs usually went to the left behind future Hall of Fame left tackle Trent Williams.

Now with Puni on the field, the 49ers also can run efficiently to the right. Which means they could have the top running game in the league this season if they're healthy.

What a great third-round pick.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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