Will the 49ers Have Dominick Puni Compete to Start at Right Guard?

Right guard isn't comfortably established for the 49ers, so perhaps they look to their rookie Dominick Puni to take the starting reigns in a competition.

Jan 31, 2024; Mobile, AL, USA; National offensive lineman Dominick Puni of Kansas (71) faces off / Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive lineman Dominick Puni is arguably the most fascinating player that the San Francisco 49ers drafted this year.

It is because of his versatility. The guy has been able to play inside at guard or outside at tackle. Being able to do both well is an incredible skill. However, the 49ers already have an area on the offensive line in mind for him when he steps foot on the practice field.

"Our belief is that we’re going to start him on the inside as a guard," said general manager John Lynch. "But the cool thing about Dominick is, it’s not often you can say this about a player, that he can play all five. And we believe that’s the case with him.

"He snapped in practice, he snapped in the Senior Bowl down in Mobile, played some center in the game, played left tackle in ’23, guard in the previous year. And so, we believe he has it in him, and that’s really a cool thing to have in a player. And he can do it at a high level."

So, Puni is either going to developed as a guard or a center for the 49ers. It remains unclear which position exactly, but the same goes for which side of the offensive line he will play at. The 49ers could look to throw Puni in at right guard and make it a competition between him, Spencer Burford, and Jon Feliciano as the starter.

It is a glaring weakness for the 49ers and a spot that has no long-term stability. Puni can provide that for him if they get him started this offseason. The only issue is that Puni has played exclusively on the left side both as a guard and a tackle. He might struggle to get it down like Aaron Banks did three years ago.

Will the 49ers have Puni compete to start at right guard?

I can definitely see that happening. The 49ers love to have rookies and young players play out of position. This regime has done it numerous times, so Puni could be the next one that falls under that category.

However, the 2024 draft class for the 49ers indicates that everything is more for 2025 and beyond than for this upcoming season. Puni seems to be a contingency for when and if Banks leaves in free agency next year.

That way Puni can slide in after having a year under his belt polishing his skills and growing accustomed to life in the NFL. The 49ers might have even learned that forcing players out of position, like with Banks, can waste away years like it did in 2021.