49ers trade up, select Kansas lineman Dominick Puni at No. 86 in 2024 NFL Draft

The 49ers traded up on Day 2 with their selection of Kansas guard Dominick Puni at the No. 86 pick. Can he make an instant impact right away?

The San Francisco rounded out Day 2 with a solid selection, trading with the Philadelphia Eagles to pick No. 86 to select Dominick Puni, the tackle/guard out of Kansas.

With this pick, San Francisco is hoping that the right side of the line can be upgraded right away, as Puni will be locked into a battle with incumbents Spencer Burford or Colton McKivitz to start at guard or tackle.

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It's no surprise that San Francisco wanted to go with such a versatile prospect given how underwhelming Burford and McKivitz have been. Puni presents the potential upgrade at those positions that fans have been clamoring for the entire draft.

Puni is a good size for either tackle or guard at 6-foot-5 and 313 pounds, and he was an excellent contributor for the Jayhawks after transferring from Central Missouri. He has a good skill set for the next level, able to contribute both as a pass blocker who can get out of his sets early and often, and as a run blocker who can get off the snap early and break open running lanes.

Where Puni must improve is with some of his techniques. Puni tends to get out of his stance too high at times and play with poor leverage, and his hand discipline will need to improve as well to eliminate getting called for holds at the next level.

But the 49ers did well to come out of Day 2 with a starting-caliber lineman.

Exactly where Puni will end up in the NFL is up for debate, but he can definitely be a starter at either guard or tackle for 2024.