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Dominick Puni, IOL, Kansas (Senior)

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Rayane M

Back for the 2024 NFL Draft edition, The Trick Play team is once again offering to immerse you in the heart of the event through the scouting reports of Rayane and Valentin. Who will become the next gem of the pro world and who, on the contrary, risks a spectacular flop?
The 2024 NFL Draft starts right now on TTP!

 

Strengths :

  • Great physical power
  • Hands placement
  • Run block
  • Good balance
  • Smart player
  • Clutch blocker

 

Weaknesses :

  • Footwork
  • Block technique
  • Plays too high
  • Average athletic abilities
  • Tends to look behind him too much during the game
  • Age

TTProfil

 
Dominick Puni comes into this draft tagged as a sleeper. This label is mainly due to the fact that the player hails from the modest program of Kansas. While the Jayhawks are certainly behemoths in the world of college basketball, they have been a mediocre, if not negligible, football program for a few years now. Although the program has become more attractive recently, largely due to their highly entertaining and successful offense in which Dominick played a part, they still lack the same level of media attention as the main prospects, partly due to the team he played for and also because of his advanced age. Therefore, Dominick enters the draft quietly.
 
However, Puni has real strengths to bring to the team that selects him, starting with his significant physical power. Clearly, Dominick's ability to dominate his opponents is largely due to this strength; one can feel his heaviness and power when he plays. His punch is also worth mentioning as it is rather good, although I find that Dominick uses it all too rarely.
 
Speaking of his punch, it's important to note Dominick Puni's good hand placement. While Puni may not rank among the worst in terms of hand placement, he certainly isn't among the best either, but it's quite decent.

Dominick is a player I find very solid in run-blocking situations, where he knows how to use his strength to generate movement. This ability to create movement is felt both on the line of scrimmage and on his climbs to the second level. If Dominick is a dominant player in the trenches, it's due to his ability to play while maintaining control. Of course, Puni can sometimes find himself off balance during a match, but most of the time he remains very stable when he plays.

Another important point about Puni is that he's an intelligent player. Dominick tries to take full advantage of the leverage he has on the field against his opponent. If his counterpart tries to play on one shoulder to make things easier, Dominick does the same by maximizing the leverage he gets from his counterpart's shoulder to work him as effectively as possible. Conversely, if his counterpart decides to seek a strength matchup, Puni remains squarely facing him and dominates with his strength. In general, he knows how to position himself to dominate.

Finally, one aspect I really like about Dominick is his ability to sometimes make the decisive block on a play. Even if he hasn't engaged his block well or if he's let go of his initial assignment a bit too quickly, he's capable of making the right move at the right moment and in an extremely clutch manner. For example, a slight push, putting his body in opposition, or even making a sneaky hold that provides just enough time for his ball carrier to get through and sometimes even make a huge play afterward. It's something you can see him do repeatedly on tape, and I really appreciate that.
 
But if Dominick is a sleeper, besides the fact that his team isn't the most high-profile and his relatively advanced age, Dominick indeed has some aspects of his game that need improvement. The first one I'd highlight is his footwork, which will clearly need work. He tends to have a base that quickly narrows once the block is engaged, but more importantly, Dominick has a tendency to stop his feet during a block, which can sometimes put him in real difficulty against top-tier opponents.

Dominick also likes to impact defenders using his shoulder but then tends to block with only one arm, which I'm not very fond of. Blocking with just one arm really increases the risk of a powerful or technical player breaking free from the block, and during my observations, I've already seen this situation happen to Dominick, leaving his opponent threatening the play. This is particularly noticeable in zone run situations or on outside runs, which require Puni to perform a reach block. In these situations, it's very common to see Dom attempt this kind of one-arm block, as it can also occur in RPO situations.

Dominick also seems to play too high from what I've seen, which is a shame because he has great upper body strength, and I believe he's also strong in the lower body. However, by playing too high, he can't fully utilize all that power. Worse, by being too high, he sometimes complicates things for himself when it comes to blocking, even when it's not a particularly challenging block to execute.
While Dominick has good strength and doesn't seem to be the worst athlete among this class of offensive linemen, his athletic abilities are still average, especially his mobility, which doesn't seem particularly exceptional. 

Finally, I've noticed a strong tendency in him to try to see what's happening behind him during plays. I really don't like that, and I like it even less when, in my opinion, Dominick should change positions to become a guard and therefore be even less in a position to watch what's happening behind. He needs to trust his teammates and learn to focus 100% on his job.

In conclusion, what more can I say than: Sleeper alert! While Dominick Puni has a lot to offer, there are some factors that may explain why he's sliding down the draft board. While he may not fit the mold of modern offensive linemen who are both technically sound and mobile, Dom brings that power and ruggedness that can always be appreciated on the offensive line. Additionally, he brings a clutch factor in his blocks that is undeniable.

If I find that overall Dominick is a rather average tackle but still solid thanks to his great upper body strength, the fact that he is, however, very good at run blocking but with progress to be made in pass protection makes me think that a conversion to the guard position could be extremely beneficial for him and potentially make him step up very strongly. We have indeed seen him do very good things at the Senior Bowl but also show up at the Combine, so very good prospects ahead.

If I see him as a third-round talent because of his current level, which I believe should allow him to start in the NFL at the guard position, his age may still be a factor to consider and could gradually make him slide, which would make him an even better deal for the team that selects him.

So, for me, if we see him as a guard, it's a third-round pick. As a tackle, I'd probably place him in the 5th or 6th round, but don't be surprised if he slips on draft night and turns out to be an interesting player.

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