49ers pass rush outlook: Can Romello Height fix San Francisco's biggest weakness?

You've likely heard the statistic all offseason regarding the San Francisco 49ers—probably more than you'd like. Twenty total sacks. Fewest in the NFL. Et cetera, et cetera.

It underscores one of the 49ers' most pressing issues last season: an anemic pass rush.

Bryce Huff led the team with just four sacks before abruptly retiring after the 2025 campaign. The honor of leading the 49ers in that category may have belonged to Nick Bosa had his season not been cut short by an ACL injury.

While Bosa is expected back for the 2026 season, San Francisco understood it needed additional reinforcements to pressure opposing quarterbacks. That urgency led the 49ers to use a third-round pick (No. 70 overall) on edge rusher Romello Height, a 6-foot-3, 239-pound defender with notable upside.

When informed of the 49ers' pass-rush struggles, Height responded with confidence.

"Humbly, I will be able to help them with that," he said.

The 49ers are certainly counting on it.

Height enters the NFL after a breakout 2025 season at Texas Tech—his only year with the program—where he posted a career-high 10 sacks along with 38 tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss, according to Sports Reference.

"His year at Texas Tech was just a spectacular season," general manager John 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."

Height also generated an impressive 62 total pressures on 350 pass-rush snaps last season, ranking among the top five draft prospects in that category, while earning a career-high 92.6 pass-rush grade from Pro Football Focus.

"The way he played, the style he played is exactly what we want—very relentless," head coach Kyle 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."

Because of his 239-pound frame, many analysts project Height to begin his career in sub-packages and obvious passing situations. However, added size could expand his role over time.

"I see myself putting on some pounds," Height admitted.

Height possesses the athletic profile of an instant-impact pass rusher, but his size may limit him from being a three-down starter early in his career. However, his ability to beat blockers with speed and technique will undoubtedly provide the 49ers with a strong pass-rush option.

If Nick Bosa and 2025 first-round pick Mykel Williams return to form following their respective ACL recoveries, and with the addition of Osa Odighizuwa and fellow draftee Gracen Halton, the 49ers hope Height can be part of a turnaround for a pass rush that struggled significantly last year.