The San Francisco 49ers' two selections from day two of the 2024 NFL Draft spoke with reporters after each pick was made. Here is everything they had to say.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
CB Renardo Green
Did you have much contact with the 49ers coming into this draft?
"Not a lot, but I talked to the DB coach [Daniel Bullocks]. He had some really good words. He never said that they were coming to get me or anything, but we talked on the phone. The type of demeanor he gave off and the words he used – he kept things real. He let me know some things about myself as a player, things that he knew I was capable of and that he saw my potential. But I didn't think they were going to pull the trigger on me. I would just talk to him and felt like he was a genuine person, that he was a good guy. I felt like this was someone that, once I got to league or if I end up playing for him, this is a guy I know that I can trust. I know that he understands the game and he understands what I'm capable of and he would push me. Those are the type of conversations I had when he and I would be on the phone."
Did you get a sense of how they envision using you?
"Kind of, sort of. We talked here and there about it. I can personally play all three positions in the secondary, no matter if that's at corner, nickel, or back at safety. I can do it all. So really just wherever the team needs me, that's what I'm going to do."
How much experience do you have at the nickel position?
"For two years I played in the slot position. That was in the 2020 and 2021 season. And at FSU, at one point we had a joker package where we'd go three high safeties and then one of the safeties would drop and become a nickel and that was me. We ran it in 2020, so I got some experience playing in that slot, actually."
When you say they talked about what you were capable of, you mentioned your versatility. What else are the 49ers getting in you as a player?
"The mentality of a dog. One thing that he said was that he wouldn't want to fight me. I asked him why and he said, 'Because I feel like you'll fight until you die.' I said, 'Yeah, that's what a dog is. You ever seen a dog fight?' So, he's seen a lot of things, just on paper about me as a person and how I am. You're getting a dog, a tenacious football player, an instinctive, athletic football player, and a versatile, smart football player."
Your preparation and understanding of tendencies and how receivers want to attack you shows up on tape. Where does that come from and how much do you pride yourself on that?
"It really comes from me just playing the game since I was five. I've been playing the game since I was five, so I feel like I've got a better feel and my instincts are better than most people out there. It's just 17 years of work put in. And then with as hard as I work, I don't believe people work as hard as me or put in as much time as I do. So it's just a culmination of repetition over the years. At Florida State, Coach Novell was getting the most out of me, pushing me every day, no matter how my body feels. So it's just a culmination of everything. Just putting together all the little things to create one big thing."
Just to be clear, was it Daniel Bullocks, the Defensive Backs coach you'd been talking to with the 49ers?
"I believe so."
Did you go about where you thought you would go, expectation wise? What were your expectations coming in?
"I used to hear from my agent like two to four, but I really didn't know. I just knew personally my mindset, my own mentality, I've been betting on myself ever since I started playing football. During this NFL Draft process and this NFL Draft, I bet on myself too. I was always feeling like I was one of the top corners in this year's Draft just because I did a lot that others can't. I went against what the number two pick, the number six pick, the Heisman winner, the receiver who broke the LSU record, the receiver who had the most receiving yards or person that had the best season this year. I proved that week in and week out, no matter who I was playing against. Pressing them, that's one of the hardest things you can do in football is press. I was pressing everybody, no safety help over the top, just me and him one-on-one. So, I didn't really know but banking on myself, I always felt like it was going to be somewhere kind of early."
Did you pay attention to the 49ers defense last season or tune into the Super Bowl and catch up with what they look like?
"Yeah, they fit me. They play like some savages. They play like some dogs. Everyone fly around to the ball, everybody make plays on the ball and everybody comes to hit. Everybody comes to play. They have high energy, a high energy attacking defense. They're not a defense that just sit back and let the offense come at them. No, they go in and attack the best defense is the best offense."
Have you always played on the defensive high side of the ball or have you played on the offense as well?
"I've played everything. In high school, I played quarterback, receiver, safety, corner. In little league, I played receiver, quarterback, running back, linebacker, safety, corner. I've always been a football player. It's what I do."
Has that experience helped you be able to play as well as you have at cornerback?
"Yes. It gives me different perspectives to see the field and it helps me with my instincts and reads. I trigger fast and process everything faster because I have more experience and knowledge than a lot of other people."
How would you describe your work ethic?
"Second to none. With the Draft, I could have not worked out today. I still worked out today. I feel like I got to get the rep perfect so when it shows up in the game, I'm ready for it. I already practiced and did it. So, I worked real hard. I put a lot of time in. It's like what I do. If this is your passion, it's what you love to do. It's what you are putting your all into. You're going to work at it. You're going to enjoy working at it. You're going to enjoy the pain of working out. You're going to enjoy the pain of breathing hard during sprints. You enjoy everything and it becomes second nature."
What about special teams? Have you done a lot of that?
"My time at Florida State. Yes, I played gunner, the person guarding the gunner. I've played the ones on kickoff. I've played seven through 10 on kickoff. Only special teams I never really played in college was kick return. Every other special teams I've touched it."
OL Dominick Puni
What are your ambitions coming into professional football and the NFL? How has the path taken you to get here?
"I'm going to start with the path. The path has been crazy. I started at Central Missouri, Division II. Not a lot of people know about it. Just kind of a shout out to small school guys all over. But transferring to Kansas really helped, it just allowed people to be able to see me on a higher stage, power five. And then taking it to the NFL, I just think my ambition is that I want to help the team in any way. I want to be able to play. My thing is versatility. Center, guard, tackle, wherever they can put me. Wherever I can play, where I can help the team. I mean, that's really my ambition. I think the Niners have a really fun offensive play in. So, I'm really excited."
You obviously have played a lot of different spots on the offensive line. What have you heard about how the 49ers intend to use you here?
"Yeah, so I actually took a visit to the 49ers about two weeks ago. It was my last visit. They saw me more as an interior. So, guard, center, being able to help out inside. Tackle, if needed in a pinch."
Do you have a preference? Playing guard, playing tackle, playing center? And then how much center did you do? Did you do that in practice with the Jayhawks?
"Yeah, so I had a whole spring ball at center in 2022. So, every practice I played in spring ball. That really helped me at the Senior Bowl to play center too. I feel really comfortable snapping the ball. I did it against the best competition in college. So, I'm very comfortable with it."