The Colts see Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher as more than just another rookie trying to carve out a role. They see a player whose edge, competitiveness and feel for the game line up with what Chris Ballard has said he wants in the building.
West area scout Kasia Omilan pointed straight to that connection while describing Boettcher’s fit.
“Chris has talked about wanting to make the locker room edgier, wanting to improve toughness, wanting to improve competes,” Omilan lays out.
“(Boettcher) does that. He fits all three categories with the way he prepares, but also the way he plays the game.”
That evaluation applies to the Oregon locker room Boettcher came from, but it also helps explain why Indianapolis used the 135 th pick on him. It was the second time a pro team had called his name. Two years earlier, the Houston Astros selected him in the 13 th round of the MLB Draft.
That dual-sport path made Boettcher a different kind of scouting project. Baseball was where he first made a major impression at Oregon, but the Colts came away convinced football is where his real pull lives.
“A scout can go either way with it,” Omilan explains. “Is the love in the first sport, or is the love in football? Spending time with Bryce on that, and picking on that a little bit at the Senior Bowl, in my time with him, showed me there’s a real passion there for football.
“He had a unique story. Walking on to both the baseball team and the football team and kind of seizing that opportunity with coach (Dan) Lanning there at Oregon, which is not an easy place to play, (is impressive).”
Boettcher enters a Colts linebacker room with room to grow into playing time. In the spring, he mostly worked with the second unit, with a short minicamp appearance alongside the starters.
CJ Allen, drafted in the second round, is expected to handle the MIKE spot. Boettcher, though, is viewed as someone who can line up at both MIKE and WILL in Lou Anarumo’s defense.
“The instincts are the best, in terms of what he does,” Omilan says.
“The instincts project a little more to MIKE, but I also think the instincts project a little bit to WILL He can function in both roles.”
That versatility is part of what makes Boettcher such an intriguing addition. He’s a linebacker with a path to snaps, a football-first mentality and a resume that already includes hearing his name called in two different pro drafts.
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