Adding a pass rusher was a clear priority for the San Francisco 49ers entering the 2026 NFL Draft. Many projections had the team targeting an edge defender with its initial first selection at No. 27 overall.

Instead, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan waited, ultimately selecting Texas Tech edge rusher Romello Height in the third round at No. 70 overall—43 picks after their initial slot.


Height was among the prospects brought in for a top-30 visit, signaling strong interest from San Francisco in the pre-draft process. The defender is coming off a breakout 2025 season—his lone year at Texas Tech—during which he recorded 10 sacks, the only double-digit total of his college career. Before that, he had never surpassed four sacks in a single season.

After making the pick, Lynch and Shanahan detailed why the 49ers were so high on Height.

"His year at Texas Tech was just a spectacular season," Lynch said. "They're a really good football team. You turn on that tape, and we do a lot of evaluation just based on how hard, how relentless does a guy play. We feel like Romello is at the top of this draft in terms of the effort, the tenacity, the relentlessness with which he plays. And we were all in on that."

The 49ers were pleased Height remained available at No. 70, especially after trading down from No. 58.

"He lasted to 70, and we made the pick with a lot of conviction," Lynch said. "We're really excited to have him. I mean, you turn on that tape, it was David Bailey on the other side, Lee Hunter in the middle, Romello Height, and they were wreaking havoc. And that's what we want to be, and we think he can help in a big way.


"He's going to have to come earn it, but he's got a lot of the indicators that we look for. He's got some Gumby-like qualities, he's real loose, and he can get after the quarterback."

Shanahan also addressed how new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris might deploy Height within a defense that struggled to generate pressure last season, finishing with an NFL-low 20 sacks.

"The way he played, the style he played is exactly what we want—very relentless," Shanahan said. "We have a 'playing with your hair on fire' grade, and he was at the top of it—and just the style that he did. When you're done with the tape, and you get to body type and stuff, he is somewhat of a tweener, like that—some would say maybe Arvell Reese Arvell Reese is, or something like that. So there's lots of varieties you can do with them.

"Raheem has a ton of experience in doing that. We'll see how he does use him. You see him on the line of scrimmage all the time in college. You've seen him drop before, so he's a guy you can use in a linebacker role, he's a guy you can use in a rush role."

Despite Height's six-year college career and late breakout, the 49ers are not overly concerned about his lack of consistent production.


"Everybody's got a different journey," Lynch said. "They all do, and you have to evaluate it all, but what we saw in that year at Texas Tech really spoke volumes to us."

Related News




Follow us on: X, Facebook, Threads, Instagram

Read Original Article
Visit 49ers Webzone

More San Francisco 49ers News