Bryce Boettcher selected by Colts in fourth round of NFL Draft: grade, analysis, stats

INDIANAPOLIS — Linebacker was clearly the most glaring need for the Colts entering the draft. Indianapolis traded away long-time middle linebacker Zaire Franklin , has allowed weak-side starter Germaine Pratt to remain a free agent and brought back only one linebacker, Austin Ajiake, who played more than 100 defensive snaps last season. The Colts responded by taking two linebackers in their top four picks in the NFL Draft.

Indianapolis opened the draft by taking Georgia’s CJ Allen, then drafted Oregon’s Bryce Boettcher with the 135 th overall pick, the selection the team got from trading back in the second round on Friday night. Boettcher, a two-sport athlete who also played baseball at Oregon, is an instinctive, run and chase linebacker who produced 136 tackles in his final year with the Ducks, the sixth-most in FBS. When he was a junior, Boettcher won the Burlsworth Trophy as the nation’s top player who began his career as a walk-on.

Colts draft grade: Oregon LB Bryce Boettcher, B+ Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard said at the NFL owner’s meetings that he believed the draft was deep at linebacker, both at the top of the draft and throughout. Ballard backed it up by taking two linebackers in the first four rounds. Boettcher, at first glance, seems like another middle linebacker, potentially making him a backup to Allen, but it is unlikely Indianapolis sees it that way, considering that the Colts were willing to take both players in the top four rounds.

While his physical testing numbers were only middle of the pack, Boettcher’s instincts and smarts help him make up for it, and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is the type of coach who will try to find adjustments for each player. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts take LB Bryce Boettcher in fourth round of 2026 NFL Draft: grade, analysis, stats