49ers Breakout Candidate Could Be Playing for Massive Payday

One player on the San Francisco 49ers with all signs pointing to a massive breakout is right guard Dominick Puni. Puni is entering his third NFL season. Based on his progression through two seasons and the early reports out of training camp, this could be his best year yet. It could lead to him becoming a cornerstone player of the roster moving forward.

San Francisco 49ers are ready for third-year breakout for Dominick Puni

Puni was a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He played tackle in college, but projected inside to guard. It did not take much transition, as he started at right guard in Week 1 of his rookie year. Puni was excellent during his rookie year and raised the bar for year two.

His second season was a bit more rocky to start. However, he suffered an injury in the preseason and tried to play through it. You could tell it had limited his ability through the first six weeks or so. However, he rebounded and started to build on his rookie year before he closed out the season.

So, while things were not as steady, the arrow remained pointing up. So far in training camp, every report is that he is ready to take yet another step. He is fully healthy; he has 34 career starts at right guard, and now the combination of physical ability and mental understanding is about to meet.

Puni has been dominant in training camp, and the thought is that he can take this into year three. Had he not been hurt early in year two, this would have been the natural progression. Now that Puni has been known for two years as a starter and has gained a league-wide reputation, this could be the year when national recognition starts to come his way.

Whether it be the Pro Bowl or All-Pro, both could be possible expectations for the third-year lineman. More than that, he could be setting himself up for significant financial compensation.

The team will likely work out a deal with Puni after this season. So far, the thought is that he could get near or at the top of the guard market. Both Matthew Bergeron and Peter Skoronski signed top-of-the-market deals this offseason.

Bergeron was at $24M per year, and Skoronski was at $25M per year. Puni is one good year away from hearing those numbers thrown in his direction.

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