The 49ers' offensive line might need some offseason additions, but two of the group's players are among the NFL's best according to Pro Football Focus.
San Francisco left tackle Trent Williams and right guard Dominick Puni are included on PFF's list of top 101 players in the league, which as of Tuesday has released Nos. 101-61.
100. Dominick Puni
Puni, who started all 17 games for the 49ers at right guard during the 2024 NFL season, enjoyed a breakout rookie campaign after San Francisco drafted him No. 86 overall, which earned him the No. 100 spot on PFF's list.
Among all NFL guards, Puni ranked 21st in offensive snaps (1,078) and allowed just three sacks in 2024. Puni also posted the ninth-best run-blocking grade (81.5) out of 135 eligible guards and the 39th-best pass-blocking grade (68.9), per PFF.
Puni’s overall 81.9 PFF grade ranked sixth among qualifying guards, and his only true blemish were his seven penalties, which ranked 113th of 135 guards. The rookie's first season went so well, in fact, that 49ers president of football operations/general manager John Lynch believes Puni can be the blueprint for San Francisco's offensive-line draft strategy moving forward.
“I think it shows that our process worked there,” Lynch told reporters at the end of the season. “But, I would say he really exceeded our expectations. We thought we got a good player and I think he showed us a little more than that. We were just talking about it upstairs, everyone saw the real strong play, the consistent play. I think there's more in the tank of where he can grow.”
San Francisco 49ers
98. Trent Williams
Williams came in at No. 98 on PFF's list despite suiting up for just 10 games in 2024 -- his 14th NFL season -- as he dealt with an ankle injury. The star offensive lineman was a game-time decision for San Francisco's Week 11 game against the Seattle Seahawks, then missed five consecutive games before being placed on injured reserve for the final two contests of the season.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
But across those 10 games, Williams’ 86.6 overall PFF grade ranked sixth among tackles and, according to the site, placed him just short of his fifth consecutive NFL season surpassing the 90.0 grading threshold.
When healthy, Williams remains one of the best players in the league. And despite whispers of retirement the past two offseasons, Lynch said last month that Williams is "committed as ever" to the 49ers and will be back in 2025 after signing a three-year, $82.66 million reworked contract last summer that keeps him with the team through 2026.
"Obviously this deal is done, get it out the way. How I've always conducted myself after signing a deal, I've never thought about what I signed for, I thought about what I could get next," Williams told reporters after signing the deal and ending his lengthy holdout. "How can I prove that I'm worth that, how can I prove that I'm worth more? It kind of goes right back to that, getting this deal out the way. I want to play when I'm 40.
"I [saw Andrew Whitworth] win a Super Bowl at 41 or 42. It's like, 'Why not me?' Who knows if you'll get compensated at the top of your position at the age of 40. But, I don't think that matters to me. If I can still be out there -- I just want to continue to knock barriers down."
With that kind of determination, don't be surprised if Williams jumps up the rankings on PFF's list next year.
