Raheem Morris Shares Honest Assessment of 49ers Rookie Romello Height

Raheem Morris kept it real on the rookie.

Aug 3, 2026; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Sam Okuayinonu (91) and defensive end Romello Height (94) and defensive end Nick Bosa (97) during training camp at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was a close call for 49ers rookie Romello Height a week ago when he was carted off the practice field.

Anytime the cart comes out, it’s usually a sign that a player suffered a significant injury. Thankfully, Height escaped any real danger. All he had were cramps, so a sigh of relief for the 49ers there.

They need Height to be healthy this season. Most of their chips were placed on him to be an adequate edge-rushing option opposite Nick Bosa. That was his specialty in college after all.

He has a prime opportunity to be the most impactful 49ers rookie this year. On Thursday, defensive coordinator Raheem Morris was asked how Height has been faring in camp with those opportunities.

Morris shares honest assessment of Height

“Smart young man. He's been able to come out and always the guy you're scared to talk about early,” Morris said. “Then you got a chance to watch him in pads, and you got a chance to see his physicality and some of the things that he can do. Particularly rushing the passer, setting the edge, doing all the things that he's doing. Then you get a chance to see a little bit of versatility out of him.

“So, you're excited about his learning capacity. You're excited about his ability to go out there and play at a very high level. You're excited about the what if when he gets a chance to play with Bosa and some of those other guys like Mykel [Williams] that we’ve got coming back. It's exciting. He's an exciting young player that we had a lot of hopes for, and hopefully he can meet them.”

It sounds like Height is doing well so far, but he is definitely a player who is meant for a complementary role only. That’s what they drafted him for, so that’s fine.

Last year, the 49ers had Bryce Huff in the same role. He was their complementary player to Bosa and their pass-rushing specialist. Height slides into that slot this year.

The 49ers are banking on Height to be effective when Bosa and others are drawing attention away. That is when he can disrupt the quarterback. He should be able to.

In college last year, he successfully did that as the complementary player to David Bailey. He gets to go to the pros and do exactly what earned him a spot in the NFL draft.

I think he’s got a solid chance to do well this season. The 49ers need their pass rush to be significantly improved this year. Height can be a key piece to that improvement.

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