The 49ers waited until the back half of Day 2 to address their biggest need in the NFL draft. San Francisco needed some offensive line help, and they traded up to No. 86 in Round 3 to snag Kansas offensive lineman Dominick Puni who could be an answer to multiple questions up front for the 49ers.
Adding OL help was never a surefire need for the 49ers. Colton McKivitz is serviceable and it looks like Jon Feliciano will have the inside track to the starting right guard spot. Upgrades at either spot would be helpful though. Depth is also something the 49ers needed more of on the offensive line. Puni could theoretically check any of those boxes.
He primarily played left tackle in college with 27 of his 43 starts coming there, 13 of which came with Kansas last season. He also played right tackle some with three starts there for Central Missouri where he spent his first four college seasons. Prior to switching to tackle with the Jayhawks though, Puni started all 12 games for them at left guard in 2022.
Chances are the 49ers view him as a guard and he’ll compete at right guard with Feliciano and Spencer Burford. It’s not out of the question though that they give him some reps at right tackle to see if he can provide competition for McKivitz and OL Brandon Parker.
The 49ers could have reached earlier in the draft for an offensive lineman, but chose instead to add depth at wide receiver and cornerback. They still wound up with a quality prospect who could offer solutions at multiple positions for them.
