{{short description|American football player (born 2000)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}} {{Infobox NFL biography | name = Dominick Puni | image = Dominick Puni 2024 49ers Bears.jpg | alt = | caption = Puni with the San Francisco 49ers in 2024 | current_team = San Francisco 49ers | number = 77 | position = Guard | birth_date = {{birth date and age|2000|2|24}} | birth_place = St. Charles, Missouri, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 5 | weight_lb = 313 | high_school = Francis Howell Central {{nowrap|(Cottleville, Missouri)}} | college = {{ubl|Central Missouri (2018–2021)|Kansas (2022–2023)}} | draftyear = 2024 | draftround = 3 | draftpick = 86 | pastteams = * San Francisco 49ers ({{NFL Year|2024}}–present) | status = Active | highlights = * PFWA All-Rookie Team (2024) * First-team All-Big 12 (2023) | statseason = 2025 | statweek = | statlabel1 = Games played | statvalue1 = 34 | statlabel2 = Games started | statvalue2 = 34 | pfr = PuniDo00 }}
'''Dominick Puni''' (''{{Respell|POU|-|nee|||||||||}}''; born February 24, 2000) is an American professional football guard for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Central Missouri Mules and Kansas Jayhawks.
==Early life== Puni was born on February 24, 2000, in St. Charles, Missouri.<ref name="TheBeast">{{Cite web |last=Brugler |first=Dane |title=The Beast: 2024 NFL Draft Guide |url=https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2024/04/11162958/TheBeast2024_MasterFile-8.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240411212702/https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2024/04/11162958/TheBeast2024_MasterFile-8.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 11, 2024 |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 14, 2024 |website=The Athletic |pages=140}}</ref> He attended Francis Howell Central High School in Cottleville, Missouri.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guskey |first=Jordan |date=April 26, 2024 |title=San Francisco 49ers pick OL Dominick Puni in third round of 2024 NFL Draft. What to know |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2024/04/26/dominick-puni-nfl-draft-san-francisco-49ers/73410976007/ |access-date=May 27, 2024 |work=USA TODAY}}</ref>
==College career== Puni played college football at the University of Central Missouri from 2018 to 2021. He did not play in 2020 due to the team's season being cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and played in only one game in 2021 due to injury.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Erickson |first=Ethan |date=December 13, 2023 |title=St. Louis native, Kansas lineman Dominick Puni collecting honors ahead of NFL bid |url=https://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/football/st-louis-native-kansas-lineman-dominick-puni-collecting-honors-ahead-of-nfl-bid/article_84f146b8-995b-11ee-9b52-4f73ad65c39d.html |access-date=June 8, 2024 |website=St. Louis Post-Dispatch}}</ref> Puni transferred to the University of Kansas in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Andrews |first=Joe |date=July 6, 2022 |title=Former Mules starting left tackle lands spot at Kansas |url=https://www.warrensburgstarjournal.com/stories/former-mules-starting-left-tackle-lands-spot-at-kansas,66590 |url-access=subscription |access-date=June 8, 2024 |website=Warrensburg Star-Journal}}</ref> He started all 24 games he played in during his two years at Kansas.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guskey |first=Jordan |date=November 25, 2023 |title=With Kansas football, Dominick Puni has helped set himself up for a chance in the NFL |url=https://www.cjonline.com/story/sports/college/hawk-zone/2023/11/25/kansas-football-dominick-puni-has-set-himself-up-for-a-nfl-chance/71676053007/ |access-date=June 8, 2024 |website=The Topeka Capital-Journal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Erickson |first=Ethan |date=October 20, 2023 |title=St. Louis native, Kansas offensive lineman Dominick Puni climbing NFL draft boards |url=https://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/football/st-louis-native-kansas-offensive-lineman-dominick-puni-climbing-nfl-draft-boards/article_1a1dce2a-6ee4-11ee-a8b5-a38981f34459.html |access-date=June 8, 2024 |website=St. Louis Post-Dispatch}}</ref> He opted out of the 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl in order to prepare for the 2024 NFL draft.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Laddha |first=Shreyas |date=December 24, 2023 |title=Kansas Jayhawks football's Dominick Puni, Austin Booker opt out of Guaranteed Rate Bowl |url=https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/university-of-kansas/article283491908.html |access-date=June 8, 2024 |website=The Kansas City Star}}</ref>
==Professional career== {{NFL predraft | height ft = 6 | height in = 5 1/8 | weight = 313 | dash = 5.35 | ten split = 1.86 | twenty split = 3.13 | shuttle = 4.40 | cone drill = 7.47 | vertical = 30.0 | broad ft = 8 | broad in = 11 | bench = 26 | arm span = 33 3/8 | hand span = 10 1/8 | wingspan ft = 6 | wingspan in = 9 1/8 | note = All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nfl.com/prospects/dominick-puni/32005055-4e14-1154-d73c-5f4c0140ba47 |title=Dominick Puni Draft and Combine Prospect Profile |website=NFL.com |access-date=March 17, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1031592&DraftYear=2024 |title=2024 NFL Draft Scout Dominick Puni College Football Profile |website=DraftScout.com |access-date=March 17, 2024}}</ref> }}
Puni was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round with the 86th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Posey |first=Kyle |date=April 26, 2024 |title=49ers trade up with the Eagles to pick No. 86 to select Kansas offensive lineman Dominick Puni |url=https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/4/26/24142235/49ers-eagles-nfl-draft-trade-dominick-puni-kansas-offensive-lineman |access-date=May 27, 2024 |website=Niners Nation}}</ref> On August 23, he was named the starting right guard for the beginning of the 2024 NFL season.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chan |first=Jennifer Lee |date=August 23, 2024 |title=How Puni's hard work translated into starting role as rookie |url=https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/dominick-puni-starter-2024-draft/1773400/ |access-date=August 24, 2024 |website=NBC Sports Bay Area & California |language=en-US}}</ref> As a rookie, Puni started in all 17 games in the 2024 season.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dominick Puni 2024 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/P/PuniDo00/gamelog/2024/ |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.<ref name="w571">{{cite web | last=McDonald | first=Briana | title=Fred Warner and Dominick Puni Earn 2024 PFWA Honors | website=49ers.com| date=2025-01-22 | url=https://www.49ers.com/news/fred-warner-and-dominick-puni-earn-2024-pfwa-honors | access-date=2025-04-04}}</ref>
== Personal life == Puni hails from a family of athletes. His parents, Teu and Jessica, were both college athletes at Truman State University. His father was a football player, and his mother played volleyball. His brothers, Derrick and Devin, were also football players, attending Central Missouri, one of the schools Dominic played college football at. His sister, Brianna, was also a college basketball player at Illinois State.<ref>{{Cite web |title=5 Things to Know: Offensive Lineman Dominick Puni |url=https://www.49ers.com/news/2024-nfl-draft-5-things-to-know-offensive-lineman-dominick-puni-kansas-family-aj-epenesa |access-date=2025-05-31 |website=www.49ers.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
Puni is also the cousin of NFL defensive end A. J. Epenesa.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Madson |first=Kyle |title=49ers NFL draft picks: 5 things to know about OL Dominick Puni |url=https://ninerswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/niners/2024/04/26/49ers-nfl-draft-picks-dominick-puni-things-to-know/79512081007/ |access-date=2025-05-31 |website=Niners Wire |language=en-US}}</ref>
Puni is of Samoan ancestry, and was a finalist for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-07 |title=Dominick Puni Named Polynesian Player of the Year Finalist |url=https://kuathletics.com/news/2023/12/7/dominick-puni-named-polynesian-player-of-the-year-finalist |access-date=2025-05-31 |website=University of Kansas |language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.49ers.com/team/players-roster/dominick-puni/ San Francisco 49ers bio] *[https://kuathletics.com/sports/football/roster/dominick-puni/1777 Kansas Jayhawks bio] *[https://ucmathletics.com/sports/football/roster/dominick-puni/6406 Central Missouri Mules bio]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Puni, Dominick}} Category:2000 births Category:Living people Category:American people of Samoan descent Category:Players of American football from St. Charles County, Missouri Category:Sportspeople from St. Charles, Missouri Category:American football offensive tackles Category:Central Missouri Mules football players Category:Kansas Jayhawks football players Category:San Francisco 49ers players Category:American football offensive guards Category:21st-century American sportsmen