SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Dominick Puni did some binge-watching this spring.
As soon as the San Francisco 49ers drafted the offensive lineman out of Kansas in the third round, he contacted the team’s video department and had them send over every teaching session offensive line coach Chris Foerster had recorded to date.
“By the time he showed up for rookie minicamp, which I think was two weeks after the draft, he’d watched all of my install meetings from Phase 1, Phase 2 and everything we’d done to that point,” Foerster said Saturday. “He’d watched them all.”
The result? A quick start for Puni, who has taken every first-team snap at right guard since the third day of training camp.
That’s when the 49ers started dealing with a pair of injuries at guard. Spencer Buford suffered a broken right hand that won’t require surgery but will keep him out of practice for at least a couple more weeks.
Foerster wouldn’t speculate on whether Burford would be back in time to regain the starting spot for the team’s Sept. 9 opener against the New York Jets.
“We’ll see when we get there,” he said. “I’m not going to go there and try to figure out what it looks like at that point. We don’t know who will be up.”
Dominick is the pick! @air_puni x #49ersDraft pic.twitter.com/CAs1892nbj
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) April 27, 2024
Meanwhile, veteran Jon Feliciano missed practice last week with a knee injury. He has been back for the last two sessions but has been working with the second-team group, including at center on Saturday.
All of which has given Puni a lot of repetitions with the first-team offensive line.
He hasn’t been perfect. But he also hasn’t looked overwhelmed. In fact, he has been winning most of his one-on-one matchups, a period in which rookie offensive linemen often flounder, especially early in training camp.
On Saturday, he beat one veteran defensive tackle, Maliek Collins, in his first matchup, then had a good repetition against another, Jordan Elliott, in his second. He has been equally as poised in 11-on-11 situations.
“I think what Dom does great coming in as a rookie is, one, he understands the playbook,” said tackle Colton McKivitz, who lines up next to Puni. “And second of all, he communicates really well at the line of scrimmage. I think some rookies come in, they’re quiet or shy, there are a lot of things going on and they don’t communicate.”
When the injuries to Burford and Feliciano first occurred, Foerster wasn’t eager to start a rookie against the Jets — and their talented defensive line — under what he called the “bright lights” of “Monday Night Football.” After watching Puni for several practices, he seems a bit more open to that possibility.
“I’m not ready to crown him yet as far as (saying he’s) one of the better rookies, but he is one of the better rookies,” Foerster said. “He answers every question right. He’s a very intelligent kid. Doesn’t say a word. Very, very smart. Very tough. Strong. And he doesn’t sway. He is just steady Eddie.”
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Odds and ends
• The 49ers’ four-day sequences in training camp go like this: light practice, long practice, medium practice, players’ day off.
Saturday was a decidedly long practice day. In fact, the session was the most grueling of training camp as far as the heat — 87 degrees — and the sheer number of snaps.
The extra repetitions allowed fourth-string quarterback Tanner Mordecai to get more chances than usual. The rookie started 4-of-4 in 11-on-11 drills, including a quick screen to former SMU teammate Danny Gray. Mordecai missed his last two attempts, a deep ball down the sideline that was just beyond the reach of receiver Malik Turner and a fastball over the middle that was too high and hot for receiver Trent Taylor.
Teammates have been impressed by the undrafted rookie, especially his arm.
“His talent — his arm talent — is probably close to the top,” No. 2 quarterback Brandon Allen said earlier in the week. “He can spin the football. And you can tell he’s really put the work into the film room, trying to learn the offense, get the verbiage down, call the plays.”
Rookie QB Tanner Mordecai, who might have the best arm among the 49ers’ passers, showing some “Heart” before practice… pic.twitter.com/kQpTFFL5OC
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) August 3, 2024
• The heat and demanding pace had tempers flaring midway through the session. After Allen connected with running back Jordan Mason on a short pass along the sideline, linebacker Ezekiel Turner ended the play with a hard shove to Mason’s back that sent him sprawling out of bounds. The running back took exception and ran back onto the field, decking Turner from behind.
“I love it when people hit me,” Mason said after practice when asked about the rough stuff running backs absorb in training camp. “It kind of turns you into another person. It turns me up a little bit. It’s a good and bad thing.”
Mason is competing with Elijah Mitchell to be the top backup behind Christian McCaffrey this season. The third-year player, who wasn’t much of a pass catcher coming out of Georgia Tech, looks more natural in that area this summer, something he attributes to an offseason purchase — a $3,000 Jugs machine.
“If I’m gonna be something close to Christian, I’ve got to start catching,” Mason said of his mindset. “That was me investing in myself. I bought that machine and I had my dad out there … shooting the Jugs machine at me, and I’m running routes and things like that. We had a fun time with it this summer.”
• Safety Ji’Ayir Brown intercepted Brock Purdy twice on Saturday. The first came on a throw over the middle in traffic that was tipped in the air by receiver Ricky Pearsall. On the second, Purdy tried to go deep across the field to Deebo Samuel, and Brown stepped in front for an easy interception.
Purdy, however, had his moments, including a deep ball down the left side to Samuel over cornerback Deommodore Lenoir and another long pass on which he took advantage of linebacker Fred Warner trying to cover speedy receiver Chris Conley.
A dime to Deebo in double coverage 🎯#49ersCamp x @19problemz pic.twitter.com/kf6Y6t2kSC
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 3, 2024
He also came the closest of any of the 49ers quarterbacks to scoring a touchdown during the move-the-ball period. However, he was forced to throw the ball away on his final attempt in the red zone due to backside pressure from Nick Bosa.
Purdy finished 13-of-19 in 11-on-11 situations, while Allen was 12-of-18 and Josh Dobbs was 7-of-11. Dobbs’ highlight came when he hit Gray on a deep ball after he got a step on safeties Malik Mustapha and Tayler Hawkins. Allen had his own impressive deep ball, one on which tight end Brayden Willis made a sliding reception near the sideline.
• The 49ers offensive line wasn’t quite as thin as it has been in recent practices. Left guard Aaron Banks, who has been dealing with back spasms, took most of his usual snaps with the first-team line. Ben Bartch and Nick Zakelj continued to split the reps Banks didn’t take. Meanwhile, rookie Jarrett Kingston also returned to practice. He’s mostly lined up at right guard with the third-string line. Left tackle Trent Williams (contract holdout), Burford (hand) and newcomer Pat Elflein (calf) remain out.
• Receiver Jauan Jennings also returned from his recent ankle sprain. He caught a nice back-shoulder throw down the sideline from Purdy during a move-the-ball period late in the session. The team, however, practiced without receivers Brandon Aiyuk (contract hold-in), Tay Martin (hamstring) and Jacob Cowing (hamstring) as well as tight ends Logan Thomas (hamstring) and Cameron Latu (unknown).
On defense, the team was missing linebacker Curtis Robinson and cornerback Darrell Luter Jr.
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• The 49ers resumed one-on-one drills Saturday. One of the standouts in that drill has been Jaylon Moore, who has taken all of the first-team repetitions at left tackle since the spring due to Williams’ holdout. On Saturday, Moore handily won his initial matchup against defensive end Alex Barrett but lost his second to Bosa.
“Jaylon has a place in the NFL because he is a good pass blocker,” Foerster said. “He’s competed well in pass blocking this year with all the guys they have over there rushing. The run game’s always something he’s challenged with. Not that he doesn’t like to run block or can’t, it’s just how he’s made up, his body type. … But he’s always done a good job, always been proud of him.”
Among the defensive linemen, Elliott has been a handful for opponents. He’s the biggest player on defense, and if he’s able to get underneath the pads of his opponent, he usually wins the rep.
He easily beat Zakelj in an early one-on-one matchup before losing to Puni in his second. He also was difficult to stop during the move-the-ball period toward the end of practice. He sacked Purdy on one play, then caused a false start by Banks on the next.
• The 49ers offense couldn’t punch the ball into the end zone on any of their drives during the move-the-ball period that ended practice. Three drives, however, ended in Jake Moody field goals — from 53, 53 and 43 yards.
Moody, who missed a pair of attempts on Friday, is now 27-of-30 for the summer. He also had a different holder on Saturday. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky didn’t practice, which meant fullback Kyle Juszczyk filled in as the holder.
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(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
