Brock Purdy benefits from so many aspects of the 49ers offense, but pass protection is definitely not one of them.
Trent Williams is a Hall of Fame left tackle, but the rest of the offensive line isn’t good. And that means Brock Purdy can’t get up in the pocket because it collapses so often. That means he has to turn and escape the pocket, which is a dangerous maneuver in the NFL.
That’s where rookie right guard Dominick Puni comes in. After one preseason game and 16 days of training camp, it’s clear that he’s doing quite well in pass defense – much better than Spencer Burford and Jon Feliciano, last season’s right guards.
So Purdy no longer has to turn out of the pocket. In fact, he rarely does that in practice these days. Instead, he simply steps into the pocket and throws his pass while right tackle Colton McKivitz pushes the edge rusher past the quarterback. Call it the Puni Effect.
Puni is currently the best offensive lineman on the field while Williams waits for a new contract. The rookie is better than Jaylon Moore, Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel and McKivitz. It’s a shame the 49ers didn’t draft an offensive lineman in the first round considering how disappointing Ricky Pearsall has been so far. Imagine if the 49ers had drafted a center instead of him. Then they might actually have a good offensive line.
I’m sure Purdy would love one of these.
