DL Romello Height Press Conference

DL Romello Height

Press Conference – April 24, 2026

San Francisco 49ers

How much contact did you had with the 49ers before? Is this a surprise to you?

“No, sir. It is not a surprise. I kind of felt it, and I’ve been having that feeling all week, that it was going to be the 49ers, and I was telling my agent the whole time that it was going to either be the Colts or the Niners, and man, thank God that it was the Niners.”

Why were you so certain the Niners were one of the teams? What about them?

“It’s crazy. I had a dream about it. I had a dream about it. And it wasn’t like exactly the Niners, but it was the Niners colors and man, look at God.”

What were your conversations like pre-Draft with the Niners?

“We talked at the Combine and that was it up until the 30 visit, I got up with coach [linebackers coach] K.J. [Wright], and he was just telling me about the scheme and how they’ll use me. And man, it was a great feeling. Like I just felt it after that 30 visit, I felt that this was my home.”

Obviously, this is an uncertain time for everyone going through the Draft process, and then you have a dream that you’ll end up with the 49ers. How does that kind of make you even more certain that you are, where you feel like you’re supposed to be now stepping into the next stage of your career?

“It’s just like everything happened for a reason. I was expecting to go a little earlier, but I was just thinking like, ‘God got me.’ Like, he’s going to put me in a place that I need to be in, and we’re going to thrive. It’s a huge blessing that I’m with the Niners because we going to go win. We going to win Super Bowls.”

The Niners often emphasize the first step, get-off, for their defensive ends. Can you describe just how that’s come along for you over the last six years in college?

“The get-off, it was key to my game, and it was like something I emphasized when trying to perfect my craft. Whenever I’m hitting the lab, it started with my get-off. Every drill was a get-off drill. It started with get-offs and even with my position coach at my previous school at Texas Tech everything started with get-off. Even at the school before that, Georgia Tech, it was everything started with get-off, and the get-off is the key to the pass rush. You got to have a great get-off. So, I just emphasized that and continue to work on it. And I’m not going to say I perfected it, but it became a huge deal when I continued to work on it.”

How familiar are you with defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and how he’s used guys like you that fit your description at those previous stops?

“Yes, sir. We talked about it on the 30 visit, and I feel like how he is going to use me is a good way because I feel like I can move around, and I’m a little versatile, so I feel like I could play the MIKE. I can go to outside linebacker, I can go to true standup, humbly, but I feel like he is going to use me in a great way.”

Do you look at Atlanta Falcons LB Jalon Walker and Los Angeles Rams LB Byron Young? I mean, are those good sorts of comparisons to what you’ll be doing in this defense?

“I’m not sure what the Rams do defensively, like scheme wise. But I see that they move they use Young in many different ways. So, yeah, probably.”

I just want to clarify it was K.J. Wright who you met with?

“Yes, sir. Man, that’s a great coach. I felt his energy. Man, we’re going to do some special things together.”

I’m sure you’ve heard the stick out like a sore thumb stat for the 49ers was 20.0 sacks, and you’re coming in as a guy that can play the edge. Can you help them with that?

“Yes, sir. Humbly, I will be able to help them with that.”

How familiar are you with DL Nick Bosa and what he does on the field?

“Man, Nick Bosa is a beast. I can’t wait to play on the other side of him. Whether it is right beside him or behind him. I can’t wait to play with Nick Bosa. We’re going to wreak havoc.”

How did it help you playing opposite New York Jets DL David Bailey this past season?

“Man, playing opposite of David Bailey was a huge privilege because that’s a great athlete and he worked his tail off. He deserved everything that came his way. David was an even better person, and he lived in the building. He continued to work day-to-day, first one in the building, last one out of the building. That’s what I said about David. David is a great, great athlete.”

Did all your different stops help you to be able to come to another stop and assimilate to a new defense?

“Yes sir. I feel like I played in many different defensive schemes. I feel like what we talked about, I feel like this is the perfect scheme for my ability and my skillset.”

Do you feel like you’re already at the playing weight you want to be at? Or do you see yourself putting on some pounds?

“No, sir. I see myself putting on some pounds.”

You talked about how you had a dream that you got drafted by the Red and Gold, but what was your process before that? Did you do like a lot of praying? Was there somewhere that you wanted to end up or were you just going to let God work it out?

“I was just going to let God work it out. I just put it in God’s hands; there is nothing bigger than God. He is my Lord and savior, and when I actually started praying to God and getting on my knees more, he opened so many doors for me. And man, that’s all I did. I got on my knees and prayed and just prayed. I prayed throughout the day and man, it happened.”

And now that you kind of opened this door into this point of your career, what do you expect to be the biggest impact that you make starting out here as you grow with the program?

“I haven’t really thought about that. I just want to contribute how I can contribute. Like, you know, I just want to bring energy to the building. I want to bring that natural energy to the building. I want to make plays, but that’s going to come with work, so I have to work when I hit the building. And nothing is going to come easy, and I know I have to put in a lot of work to go in and actually work my way to that starting job.”

What’s the key to beating pass blockers that may outweigh you by 80 pounds in the NFL?

“Speed and playing chess, playing with the Tackle’s mind. You have to switch the game up. If he has some type of advantage on you. You have to play with his mind, and you have to switch the game up and get him uncomfortable.”

What team did you follow when you were growing up and who do you watch when you look at the NFL film?

“The Broncos because of [former Denver Broncos WR] Demaryius Thomas. That’s my cousin, you know, and he’s from out of Dexter, Georgia and went to West Laurens [HS]. He was a huge idol to me, and I looked up to him like no other. And he’s the reason I feel like I’ve had success in my career.”

Are you able to go into a little bit of detail as to what the conversation was between you and Coach K.J. that helped you to really feel like you were connected to him as a coach?

“So, Coach K.J., when they brought me in, he told me straight up. He didn’t hold back on anything. He told me straight up how they’re going to use me, and how I was going to be used in the scheme. And man, I just felt it. Like I said, I felt Coach’s energy, and it was a natural attitude, and he wasn’t trying to scare me or anything. He just told me how I was going to go and I just felt it. I was like, man, I’m ready to work with this guy.”

You guys played Utah last year twice, and they had two first round picks in Cleveland Browns OT Spencer Fano and New England Patriots OT Caleb Lomu yesterday. How do you feel going against those guys and tackles and guards in the Big 12 or your local area for the next level?

“Yeah, I feel like Spencer Fano was one of my toughest challenges this year. He’s a great, great athlete and you could tell his film study is wonderful because of how he came and approached the game. He switched it up, like he showed me things that I didn’t see on film when I played him. So, I feel like playing against guys like Spencer Fano prepared me well for the League because man, he’s going to be super special when he gets to the league.”