How Third-Round Pick Romello Height Intends To Complement Nick Bosa
The 49ers believe Romello Height's explosive get-off and veteran polish can finally provide the consistent edge-rushing threat needed to punish double teams and solidify San Francisco's defensive front.
Video Transcript
San Francisco 49ers received plenty of flak from various NFL analysts over their reaches in the twenty twenty-six NFL draft.
However, one specific player escaped those accusations, Romello Height, the defensive lineman out of Texas Tech, the edge rusher more specifically.
General Manager John Lynch grabbed him in the third round at number seventy overall.
At six foot three, two hundred and thirty-nine pounds, he enters kind of undersized compared to the prototypical heavy set edge defen-defenders who are in a traditional four-three base.
Furthermore, he's twenty-five years old.
Following a six-year collegiate journey across multiple programs, he stands out significantly older than the regular rookie age twenty to twenty-- twenty-one to twenty-two.
Despite these unconventional metrics, San Francisco is highly confident that Height can rapidly develop into a high-end rotational pass rusher that the defense has spent seasons trying to find.
With voluntary OTAs wrapping up, defensive line coach was highly vocal when evaluating Height's initial performance, showering the rookie with heavy praise during his media sessions shared by NBC Sports Bay Area Nick Avila.
He said, "Just the speed, athleticism, his explosion on get off, and then just natural pass rush ability.
It's been really impressive so far.
We're not in pads or anything yet, so that'll be the determining factor for the whole thing, but just the way he moves.
At the end of the day, we drafted him to rush the passer, and he's really excellent at that.
His get off has been really, really good.
Being able to put tackles behind the eight ball with his get off and making them set differently and protect differently and getting on them quickly."
Height completely verified that underlying athletic explosion during his final collegiate campaign with the Red Raiders.
He received first team Big Twelve honors after exploding for nine sacks, ten tackles for loss, and finishing amongst the nation's elite in total, total quarterback pressures.
If that exact po-prowess cleanly translate to the practice fields in Santa Clara, it will solve a persistent headache that the 49ers have had for a while.
