The 49ers selected Romello Height in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and it hasn’t taken long for the 25-year-old to impress San Francisco defensive line coach Kris Kocurek.
“Just the speed, athleticism, his explosion on get-off, and then, just natural pass rush ability,” Kocurek told reporters Tuesday in Santa Clara. “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.”
Height, who finished his collegiate career at Texas Tech, had 10 tackles for loss and nine sacks his senior season as a Red Raider. That type of pressure is exactly what Kocurek says the 49ers will need out of the rookie defensive end.
“At the end of the day, we drafted him to rush the passer, and he’s really excelled at that,” Kocurek said. “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.”
In addition to what Kocurek has seen from Height, he also believes the energy he brings has been refreshing.
“Just the work ethic that he brings in,” Kocurek said. “He works really, really hard. The energy that he plays with. Just the whole package. Excited about him.”
The 49ers finished the 2025 NFL season with just 20 sacks, the fewest in the league, and the addition of Height – as well as Nick Bosa’s expected return – definitely could help that number increase.