Dominick Puni scouting report: Exploring the Kansas interior offensive lineman's strengths and weaknesses
Not receiving any D1 attention back in 2019, Dominick Puni spent the first four years of his collegiate career at Central Missouri State, starting at both tackle spots.
Over his two years with the Jayhawks, he started all but two of 22 games on the blindside, making first-team All-Big 12 in the latter one of those, after being an honorable mention the season prior.
Details: 6’5”, 315 pounds; RS SR
Breaking down Dominick Puni's scouting report
Strengths
Run-blocking
- Dominick Puni generally showcases good awareness for angles, when he just needs to cut off defenders on the backside, etc.
- Regularly able to land that initial strike to turn edge defenders toward the sideline and create an indication to hit the front side of inside zone.
- Quick to erase the gap towards shade techniques on down-blocks/pin-downs off GT power and similar concepts.
- Does well to apply force to the arm-pit of D-linemen on angular blocks, forcing them to find an anchor after giving ground initially.
- His short-area agility to execute reach- and hinge-blocks on the backside of run plays really stands out, oftentimes incorporating a cross-over step to get it done.
- Light on his feet to release towards the second level and pin linebackers inside on misdirection plays for example.
- Very nimble for taking on long pulls and getting out in space for the screen game, being able to gather and occupy moving targets.
- Was only penalized twice across 745 snaps in 2023.
Pass-protection
- Patient, confident pass-protector, who rarely oversets or stops his feet as rushers try to give him different looks.
- Understands how to maximize his length and keep (edge) rushers away from his frame.
- Capable of jumping out to wide-nine rushers and quickly cutting off their angle, without making himself super vulnerable to losing instantly.
- You don’t really see Puni panic as guys try to crash across his face, with the lateral mobility to shuffle along and ride them into the pile.
- Showcases impressive fluidity in the lower half to flip and ride rushers trying to jump outside and beat him around the corner.
- When he recognizes that something is off and there’s a delayed rusher coming or the picture changes at the last moment, his eyes are lightning-quick to find his new responsibility and put his body in the way.
- Continues to put in work deep into pass-pro reps, as his man starts chasing after the scrambling quarterback, yet Puni gets that extra shove to allow his guy to keep extending.
- Didn’t allow any sacks and just eight pressures in each of the last two seasons (783 combined pass-blocking snaps).
Weaknesses
- Dominick Puni doesn’t offer overwhelming power to create vertical displacement in the run game.
- You don’t really see him snatch the jersey of defenders and control blocks, as regularly there’ll be guys sliding off and getting involved in the tackle against him.
- Can get a little overzealous faking the run and allowing savvier defenders to swipe away the hands, putting him into recovery mode on what should be “easy” reps.
- Gets his weight shifted too far over the outside foot and will be vulnerable to edge rushers who can attack inside the pec with force, in order to take the direct path toward the QB, if he stays out at tackle.
- His more natural fit is at guard, but his poor pad level could become an issue there.
Dominick Puni's 2024 NFL Draft projection
Dominick Puni is one of the more interesting offensive line prospects, but he looks more like a light-footed tackle than a rugged guard. That said, I thought a lot of the skills that are appealing about him otherwise make him a more attractive option inside.
His short-area agility to execute reach- and scoop-blocks can be a valuable asset for a wide zone-based scheme, yet he also has the light feet and coordinative skills to get up to the second level and take on generally challenging pulling assignments.
In pass protection, he may be quite tall in his sets and limits his ability to anchor against power-rush attempts. However, it’s in that more confined space when opponents don’t have the runway to build up momentum and it’s more about his lateral movement skills, that can really allow him to shine.
He’ll never be a road-grader near the point of attack and even when setting against wider fronts, he’ll need to work on his ability to keep his weight centered better. That said, Dominick Puni may offer you four-position flexibility if he’s your sixth lineman early on and particularly at guard is where he excelled during Senior Bowl week. I don’t think he’s making it out of the top 100 picks.
Dominick Puni Grade: Late third round.
You might be interested in other OL scout reports: Cooper Beepe; Christian Haynes; Christian Mahogany.