NFL Insider Discusses Niners' Second Pick in 2026 NFL Draft

NFL Insider Discusses Niners' Second Pick in 2026 NFL Draft

The San Francisco 49ers have made waves with their 2026 NFL draft class. One of the more well received picks came with their second of the draft when the team brought in Texas Tech edge rusher Romello Height.

Texas Tech has a historic season in 2025 reaching its first ever College Football Playoff. Much of that was due to strong defensive play. And while fellow edge rusher David Bailey and linebacker Jacob Rodriguez stole many of the headlines, Height proved worthy of acclaim in his own right.

The Texas Tech edge become a household name in the draft process for those who follow the draft closely. He earned a draft selection at No. 70 and ended up in San Francisco.

ESPN NFL insider Nick Wagoner discussed the pick in his analysis of the Niners' 2026 NFL draft class. Here's what Wagoner shared on the selection.

"My take: After fielding the worst pass rush in the NFL last year, the Niners waited a bit longer than expected to address it, but it's no surprise they spent an early pick on a pass rusher. Height had 10 sacks and 58 pressures for the Red Raiders last year and he should have a chance to step into the specialized third-down pass rusher role Bryce Huff filled for the 49ers last season. With Huff off to retirement, the Niners needed another option off the edge even though Height's size (6-foot-3, 239 pounds) doesn't necessarily translate to contributing much on running downs right away.

How's his health? Height had a pair of significant shoulder injuries during his college career. The first came in 2020 when he was at Auburn, causing him to redshirt and requiring offseason shoulder surgery. The second came at USC in 2022, a right shoulder injury that also required surgery. Height played full seasons each of the past three years, however, compiling 22.5 sacks for USC, Georgia Tech and Texas Tech."