Bryce Boettcher Had A Fan In Chris Ballard Away From Football
- Bryce Boettcher was drafted by the Astros but chose to pursue football instead.
- Colts evaluated Boettcher's love for football during the vetting process.
- Boettcher's instincts and athleticism make him a valuable special teams player and potential starter.
Bryce Boettcher Had A Fan In Chris Ballard Away From Football
INDIANAPOLIS – Little did Bryce Boettcher know that he already had a big fan in Chris Ballard, for reasons other than football.
As a die-hard Houston Astros fan, Ballard certainly would have been cheering for Boettcher, if the now Colts linebacker would have pursued the first professional sports league that drafted him.
That would be major league baseball, as Boettcher was chosen in the 13th round of the 2024 Draft by the Astros.
And while baseball was the first collegiate pursuit of Boettcher, his love of football quickly won out.
Part of the vetting process with Boettcher was for the Colts to weigh the allure of baseball.
“Is the love in the first sport? Or is the love in football? Colts west area scout Kasia Omilian said after the Colts took Boettcher at No. 135 overall. “And so, 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).”
For 2026, Boettcher should definitely be a core special teamer as a rookie.
Knocking on the door for consistent defensive playing time is probably next on the list.
With NFL defenses shifting more and more to having just two linebackers on the field, those two spots from the Colts will be new from last year (mainly Zaire Franklin and Germaine Pratt).
Second-round pick CJ Allen semes obvious. Next to Allen, you have veteran Akeem Davis-Gaither, who has a good amount of history with Lou Anarumo.
If you stretch the depth chart further than Allen and Davis-Gaither, that’s where Boettcher is likely to enter.
Boettcher led the Big Ten in tackles last year, helping lead Oregon to the final four of the college football playoff.
The instincts that helped Boettcher roam centerfield to the level where he became an MLB draft pick has now translated to the middle of an NFL defense.
“Athletic, fast, a blue-card guy for us, a really special dude,” Ballard says of Boettcher, who the Colts took with their additional 4th round pick after a 2nd round trade back with the Steelers. “Here’s a guy, he was drafted by the Astros, ended up walking on, earning it, and has been just a tremendous player for the University of Oregon.”
That would be a football player.
Although the Ballard fandom sill would have been there on the diamond had Boettcher gone with his first love.
