The 49ers wrapped up one of the easier pieces of offseason business by locking up third-round edge rusher Romello Height on his rookie contract before camp even opens. It's not a splashy move, but it's a necessary one -- the last thing San Francisco needs is a draft pick watching OTAs from the sideline over paperwork.
49ers signed their third-round pick, edge rusher Romello Height, to his four-year $7.29 million contract.
Per Schefter's report, the deal is a standard 4-year, rookie-scale contract worth $7.29 million, which lines up with a No. 70 overall pick. That kind of quick, no-drama signing is typical for Day 2 and Day 3 picks under the current CBA, where the money is essentially predetermined -- but it still matters for the team's planning heading into camp.
Height's path to San Francisco was anything but conventional. He started his college career at Auburn, transferred to USC, then to Georgia Tech, before finally landing at Texas Tech for a breakout 2025 season that reportedly included 10 sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss and first-team All-Big 12 honors. Six years, four schools, and a resume that finally matched the traits scouts always liked -- that's the version of Height the Niners drafted.
The scouting knock has never been about his get-off. At 6-foot-3 and around 240 pounds, Height's calling card is bend and burst off the edge, the kind of quick-twitch pass-rush juice that can make him a designated third-down weapon early in his career even if he's not built to hold up as a every-down run defender yet.
That profile fits neatly into what San Francisco needs. The 49ers have spent years trying to keep their pass rush stocked behind Nick Bosa, and a rotational, situational rusher who can win one-on-ones on third down is exactly the kind of complementary piece a contender wants cheap and locked in for 4 years. Getting him signed now means no distractions -- Height can focus on learning the scheme and carving out a role instead of negotiating over guaranteed money.
None of this guarantees Height becomes anything more than a rotational name, but the term sheet was never going to be the hard part. The real test starts when camp opens and he has to prove that 2025 breakout at Texas Tech translates against NFL tackles.