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Trent Williams is impressed with the maturity and skill of 49ers rookie Dominick Puni – NBC Sports Bay Area & California

Since the 49ers selected Dominick Puni in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the rookie offensive lineman has been a perfect fit for San Francisco.

Puni earned the starting spot at right guard in training camp thanks to his skills and determined attitude – both so great that All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams sometimes forgets how young the 24-year-old actually is.

“No, I haven't talked to him about it. Sometimes I forget he's a rookie,” Williams told reporters this week when asked if he had spoken to Puni before the rookie's first NFL road game on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. “He's just so mature for his age. But yeah, I'm pretty sure we'll have time to talk about it. He's so ahead of his time though, he probably doesn't need much from me.”

It's almost certain that Puni would welcome any advice from the best offensive tackle in the game, but Williams' praise speaks volumes about how well the young guard is adjusting to life in the NFL. And Puni's efforts are showing on the field, too.

Puni's performance in the 49ers' 32-19 victory over the New York Jets in Week 1 earned him a postgame locker room visit from Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Patrick Willis, and Williams noticed that the rookie was performing unusually well for his age, not only physically but mentally as well, in the season opener.

“I didn't notice anything. He's on the other side, so it's a little hard for me to keep up with everything, you know, all the complicated things he was going through, but I didn't notice anything,” Williams said of Puni's handling of his first NFL game. “The film looked good. He did a good job of communicating on the sideline, letting the coach know what he was seeing.”

“Sometimes that can be the hardest part for a rookie, coming back and giving the information that you see on the field in real time. He did a great job of that, so I think he's OK.”

Behind Williams (81.6 overall), Puni received the 49ers' second-highest PFF grade on the offensive line at 79.1. According to PFF, the 49ers ran the ball to the right behind Puni four times, and those plays averaged 5.3 yards before contact, with two moving the chains. Puni also received a pass block grade of 77.7 and a run block grade of 74.6 in his NFL debut.

Both Puni's rapid rise and Williams' admiration for the rookie have not gone unnoticed by John Lynch, the 49ers' general manager and president of football operations, who told KNBR on Friday.

“I thought he was great,” Lynch said of Puni's performance in Week 1. “It wouldn't be fair to him to just say he was solid, because he was more than solid. It was fun to watch Trent's reaction. Trent is not easily impressed … and Trent came in and it was like, 'Damn!' He kept saying that, like this kid really got it.

“And I think he exudes a certain calmness, but he also has some really, really good skills, strength, agility, all of it. And we really liked him when he left school. And part of that [was] Nothing could faze him. He played all five positions at Kansas and did well, but I've got to tell you… you see things on film, and then there are guys that look even better in person.

“He's one of those guys.”

It's a huge credit to the 49ers' front office for finding and signing a player like Puni, who has given San Francisco's offensive line an immediate boost. And it's also a credit to offensive line coach/run game coordinator Chris Foerster for getting the rookie up to speed so quickly.

But none of this would have been possible without Puni's dedication to the game and his eagerness to make an impact in his first season. As Sunday's game against the Vikings approaches, the 49ers are obviously hoping Puni's early success continues in Week 2.

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