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49ers rookie Puni shines in ‘awesome’ NFL debut vs. Jets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA — As the postgame crowd in the 49ers’ locker room began to clear out, rookie guard Dominick Puni was approached at his locker by none other than Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker and franchise icon Patrick Willis.
While Willis expressed how impressed he was with Puni’s NFL debut, the rookie sat in awe, seemingly stunned that a player of that caliber even knew who he was, let alone that they would take the time to personally compliment his performance.
Willis’ praise was well earned, as the 2024 third-round draft pick shined in his first regular-season NFL action, looking like a seasoned veteran against the Jets’ stout defensive front in San Francisco’s 32-19 win over the New York on Monday night at Levi’s Stadium.
After Monday’s win, Puni explained how much he enjoyed making his professional debut under the bright lights of primetime.
“It was awesome,” Puni said. “For a rookie, ‘Monday Night Football’ against a hell of a team is a pretty big stage. I was just soaking it all in during the game, but at the same time we had to play. But it was real fun, I had a lot of fun, it’s a fun team to play for. You got superstars all over the field making plays. For a guy like me, I just try to stay in the mix with them, make sure they get what they get.”
Among those playmakers Puni paved the way for is running back Jordan Mason, who ran for a career-high 147 yards as San Francisco demoralized New York with a relentless rushing attack in Monday’s win.
“I love running the ball,” Puni said. “The fact we were able to just do that — I think we had 37 carries? Any time you get 25, 30-plus carries, it’s probably a good game. It’s kind of just like an O-line, running back thing. Just kind of put your head down, and the receivers too, they do a hell of a job blocking.”
Despite earning the praise of one of the NFL’s greatest linebackers, Puni didn’t leave Monday’s contest…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-rookie-puni-shines-awesome-072426318.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-09-10 07:24:26
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