Dominick Puni, OL Kansas: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Puni was an offensive line recruit from Francis Howell Central High School in Cottleville, Mo. in the class of 2018

Kansas Jayhawks left tackle Dominick Puni will likely kick inside to guard at the next level. He’s receiving some attention as a potential top 100 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. An All-Star game invite and strong showing could be the key to propelling the sixth-year lineman up draft boards.

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Dominick Puni, OL Kansas: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Sixth-year redshirt senior left tackle from St. Charles, Mo.

Background: Puni was an offensive line recruit from Francis Howell Central High School in Cottleville, Mo. in the class of 2018. He did not receive a national ranking or star rating from 247Sports, Rivals, On3.com, or ESPN coming out of high school. Puni attended the University of Central Missouri before transferring to Kansas for the 2022 season. In high school, he was a two-year varsity starter along the offensive line. He moved to offensive lineman as a junior and never allowed a sack. Puni competed in track and field as a senior and played volleyball throughout high school. His older brothers, Derrick and Devin, also played for the University of Central Missouri. Derrick signed as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys in 2019. Dominick’s sister, Brianna, played basketball at Illinois State and Eastern Michigan.

Injuries & Off-Field: No season in 2020 due to COVID-19, hip injury limited him to two games in 2021

Awards: 2019 Honorable Mention All-MIAA, 2022 Honorable Mention All-Big 12

Pros: Experience playing left guard and left tackle, room to stack mass in his lower half, patient in pass pro and lets the defender come to him, fluid lateral agility with consistent and controlled movements, locks up defenders in pass pro on contact, heavy hands, good grip strength, good strike timing, quick to replace hands, block framing is generally a positive, nice one-armed stab to the defender’s chest, delivers rib shots to 3-techs, defenders don’t frequently bull rush him or play through his frame, doesn’t fall for spin moves, hips swivel and flip well, good body positioning to turn defenders and keep himself between them and the ball, ideal mobility to execute short and long pulls, creates displacement on down blocks, comfortable climbing to the second level, overpowers and seals off second level defenders, shows a mean streak in the open field

Cons: Appears to have short arms for a tackle, lower body is still a little lean, first step mechanics need to be addressed (inside foot), lacks the explosiveness to carry defenders all the way up the arc, oversets, late laterally redirecting for inside counters, lateral agility limits ability to protect his shoulders, vulnerable to being pried open to access B-gap, pad level, loses the leverage battle, needs to anchor lower, base narrows and collapses when engaged with a defender, base becomes too narrow when threatened vertically, lost to a push-pull-rip by Jer'Zhan Newton (2023), defenders escape his grasp too easily, slips off blocks, occasionally ducks head into contact and misses, takes inconsistent angles to second level defenders, gets over his skis and struggles to halt momentum

Overview: Puni has starting experience playing left guard and left tackle. There’s still room to add mass to his lower body, which is a little lean. Puni lacks ideal arm length for an NFL tackle, which means he’ll likely kick inside at the next level. His first step and footwork in pass protection need to be reworked. He occasionally lifts his inside foot before extending his outside leg, which negatively impacts his range in protection. Puni has fluid lateral agility with consistent and controlled movements, but he lacks the explosiveness to handle speedy wide-alignment rushers. He oversets when trying to compensate for that limited explosiveness and bounce in his step. Puni is late redirecting for inside counters, and his shoulders are softer than expected. Despite these flaws, the sixth-year lineman is patient in pass protection and lets the defender fall into his trap. He locks up pass rushers on first contact with his heavy hands and impressive grip strength. Puni times his strikes well and quickly replaces his hands when the defender swats or swipes them away. He generally frames blocks well. Puni breaks out the occasional one-armed stab to maximize his reach and out-leverage the defender. His patient approach prevents him from falling for spin moves. Defenders don’t try to bull rush him or play through his frame often, but he is vulnerable to being pried open to access the B-gap. Puni’s hips swivel and flip with little resistance. He positions his body well to manipulate defenders and keep himself between them and the ball. Unfortunately, the All-Big 12 honorable mention plays with a high pad level that causes him to lose the leverage battle. He needs to anchor lower and maintain a wide base. Puni narrows his base when engaging with defenders, especially when they’re pushing vertically. This makes it easy to capture his shoulder or throw him off balance. Despite his impressive hands, Puni doesn’t sustain blocks long enough. Defenders break away from him and redirect to the ball. Puni is also guilty of slipping off blocks as his momentum gets too far forward. The Missouri native has ideal mobility to execute short and long pulls. He creates displacement on down blocks and is comfortable climbing to the second level. Puni takes inconsistent angles to second level defenders, but he shows off a real mean streak when he lands a block in the open field. This ferocity also pops up in pass protection every now and then. Puni statistically held his own against Illinois in 2023, but the fighting Illini defensive line led by Jer'Zhan Newton, Seth Coleman, Gabe Jacas, and Keith Randolph Jr. had their fair share of positive reps against the tackle.

Overall, Puni projects as a guard in a scheme that will use his movement skills and dominance at the second level. He lacks the arm length and lateral quickness to play on an island at tackle in the league. Correcting his pad level and footwork will be significant steps toward reaching his full potential as a steady, high-floor, low-ceiling NFL player.  

Role & Scheme Fit: Left guard in an outside zone or gap scheme

Round Projection: Mid Fourth to Early Fifth

Size: 6'5", 320 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 10-25-23