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Former Packers edge rusher Rashan Gary.
The Green Bay Packers have a visit on the books with an edge-rusher prospect who could potentially replace former starter Rashan Gary for their defense.
According to The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler, the Packers will host a pre-draft visit with Texas Tech edge rusher Romello Height before the 2026 NFL draft next month.
Height — who will turn 25 in two weeks — recorded 10 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss in his lone season with the Red Raiders in 2025. He also made use of a COVID-19 waiver and a medical redshirt to play 36 combined games with three other programs in the five prior seasons, including Auburn (2020-21), USC (2022-23) and Georgia Tech (2024).
Source: Texas Tech EDGE Romello Height has a 30 visit scheduled with the Green Bay Packers.
Dynamic pass rusher in a loaded class is a name to become familiar with in the Day 2 bucket.
The Packers are expectedly evaluating their options at edge rusher after trading away Gary — their No. 12 overall pick in 2019 — in the offseason. While they will have All-Pro Micah Parsons back, he could miss the early parts of the 2026 season while he recovers from the torn ACL that he sustained during Week 15’s loss to Denver on December 14.
Height is the first reported edge-rusher prospect in the 2026 class to have an official top 30 visit on the books with the Packers ahead of the NFL draft, which starts on April 23.
Packers Could Prioritize Romello Height as Top Pick
The Packers do not have a first-round selection in the 2026 draft, having traded it away to the Cowboys along with their 2027 first-rounder in exchange for Parsons last August. In other words, the team will likely limit its scouting focus to players whom they expect will still be on the board when they make their first pick at No. 52 in the second round.
Realistically, Height could be one of those players when the Packers are on the clock.
Height is a lean, bendy edge rusher who is on the smaller side (6-foot-3, 239 pounds) for the position in the NFL, but who also won the majority of his matchups in college with a well-developed toolkit of pass-rusher moves and his high-quality technique. He also fights relentlessly from his first step, even when bigger bodies out-muscle him.
Romello Height is a DE prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored an unofficial 8.92 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 221 out of 2046 DE from 1987 to 2026.
Splits projected, all times unofficial, agilities left to run, bench tomorrow.
The Packers would almost certainly ask Height to spend more time in the weight room, building muscle and strength, before cutting him loose off the edge of new coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s defense, but Gannon tends to drop his capable edges into coverage in his versatile defensive scheme, which may make Height’s light frame more appealing.
The question is whether the Packers feel an edge rusher is the priority at No. 52. Height is a talented player with upside, but the defense is also likely moving into more of a 3-4 look under Gannon, which typically needs more interior presence than Green Bay has. The Packers could also use cornerback reinforcements after a quiet free-agent period.
Will Packers Land Rashan Gary Replacement in Draft?
The Packers will have options for finding pass-rushing fits for their new-look defense in the 2026 draft next month, but how aggressively will they look to restock the trenches?
While the Packers traded Gary and defensive tackle Colby Wooden this offseason, they still have a handful of recent draft picks vying for playing time with their defensive line, including Lukas Van Ness (2023 first-rounder), Karl Brooks (2023 sixth-rounder), Barryn Sorrell (2025 fourth-rounder) and Warren Brinson (2025 sixth-rounder). They also signed two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Javon Hargrave during free agency.
At the same time, Van Ness could need a new contract in less than a year if the Packers do not pick up his fifth-year option for the 2027 season before the May 1 deadline — and expectations are that they will not pick it up, given his lackluster production for them.
Even if the Packers are comfortable running it back with a new defensive scheme and a heavy-hitting veteran for the interior of their defensive line, it would make sense if they added reinforcements to brace for the likelihood that Van Ness will leave after 2026.
Jordan J. Wilson is a sports reporter who covers the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. He has previously covered all levels of sports — high school, college and pro — for a variety of publications including The Indianapolis Star, The News-Gazette, Springfield State-Journal Register and Peoria Journal Star. More about Jordan J. Wilson
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