It is finally draft season for Lions fans.
Brad Holmes and his front office have proven they are very capable of putting together great draft classes. They have had major hits on every day of the draft, but especially on Day Two. This roster isn’t in desperate need of much because of his work, but they do have some positions that need to be addressed.
This offseason, they should be focusing on getting better play out of their defensive backs, adding depth on the defensive line, and building out the wide receiver room.
These scouting reports should introduce you to some of the names that Lions fans could hear during the three days of the NFL Draft.
Background
- Height: 6’5”
- Weight: 320
- 6th Year Senior
- Played Two Years at Kansas, Four Years at Central Missouri
- No-Star Recruit According to 247 Sports
- Preseason All-Big 12 Selection in 2023
- 2024 Senior Bowl Invite
College Production
- 728 snaps at left tackle
- 849 snaps at left guard
- No sacks allowed
- 16 pressures allowed
- Six penalties committed
Notable PFF Stats
- Overall PFF grade 80.6
- Run Blocking PFF Grade 72.5
- Pass Blocking PFF Grade 90.5
Traits and Skills
Hand Placement
Puni’s hand placement allows him to get leverage and maintain control of his engagements. Defenders often lose hand fights as his technique allows him to get inside on defenders much better than most.
Level Headedness
Patient and calculated, Puni doesn’t let defenders draw any knucklehead plays out of him. He avoids penalties as mentioned above with his hand placement but he avoids others such as unnecessary roughness or worse.
Balance
Stays on his feet despite being smaller on the edge against bigger defenders. Puni can absorb their power at the line of scrimmage and while he can take a step back he doesn’t get off his feet or lose his footing.
Fit within the Lions Roster
Dominick Puni is projected to be an offensive tackle by most outlets but his best move may be to go inside to guard. It is a lazy approach but it is a surefire way to hide his deficiencies with how he handles the speed of edge defenders as well as their bend.
For the Lions, he could provide very reliable blocking on the inside – which this offense needs. The running attack is going to be a focal point of this offense going forward. Someone like Puni who would convert from tackle to guard would have the benefit of having the size to handle larger interior defensive linemen.
