Overview
- Boettcher, whom Indianapolis selected Saturday with the 135th pick in Round 4, joins a linebacker group the team has been reshaping under defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.
- The former Oregon walk-on became a 2025 team captain and led the Ducks in tackles in 2024 and 2025, logging 269 career tackles with 16 for loss and four sacks.
- He was also drafted by the Houston Astros in 2024 as a center fielder and received a reported $150,000 bonus, then stayed at Oregon in a team-approved arrangement to finish football.
- At the NFL Combine he said he is focused on football, and evaluators see early special-teams impact with rotational linebacker snaps after a 73.3 Pro Football Focus grade in 2025.
- The move makes him the second linebacker in this Colts class after Georgia’s CJ Allen, aligning with GM Chris Ballard’s plan to refresh the front seven and add depth after recent departures.