Bryce Boettcher, LB, Oregon Ducks: 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report plus pro comp

Oregon Ducks linebacker Bryce Boettcher was statistically one of the best tackling linebackers in college football in 2025, and could be an interesting prospect in the middle rounds of the draft. His profile is interesting to evaluate, but there are definitely some legitimate positives and concerning negatives when analyzing his tape.

Boettcher is a Duck through and through, hailing from Eugene, Oregon, and played all 4 of his collegiate seasons with Oregon. He played both football and baseball for the Ducks, and started as a major piece on their defense in junior and senior seasons. Boettcher notched his most productive season in 2025, entering the 2026 NFL Draft on the heels of quite a memorable career.

Bryce Boettcher NFL Draft Profile:

Position: Linebacker

School: Oregon Ducks

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 232 pounds

Hometown: Eugene, Oregon

Statistics:

2025: 136 Tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 1 Sack, 2 FF, 1 INT, 6 PBU

Career: 269 Tackles, 16 TFLs, 4 Sacks, 4 FF, 2 INT, 11 PBU

Strengths:

Disciplined when sitting in running lanes and holding ground on contact

Solid lateral footwork in coverage with a good plant and trigger to jump on checkdown routes

Safe coverage backer against leaking RBs in man coverage, will keep distance to avoid being manipulated by quick cuts

Straight lines to outside ball carriers and expands his range to wrap up well and work the sideline

Cuts on a dime sharply, and closes space on RBs in man coverage quickly

Sticky in coverage with impressive overall technique, former DB experience comes through

Awareness helps him survive at the second level in zone coverage, even with lower speed

Can slide through smaller gaps when blitzing and can force initial contact to redirect runs

Solid pursuit angles when he gets past the OL to track down rushers

Plays the sideline well on longer developing runs, completely neutralizes the ball carriers, and works them to the sideline smoothly

Rotationally brings down ball carriers well, throws his momentum around when wrapping up, and drops rushers

Weaknesses:

Strength and length issues come into play when laterally disengaging from blocks and extending to try to finish plays

Doesn’t have the size and power to be a bull rush blitzer, will get initial leverage with shock momentum, but gets cleaned up pretty quickly afterwards

Gets driven too easily on screens and doesn’t have the size to sit down and hold his ground

Can get caught in traffic by contact and swallowed up by the line

First move against the run is often downhill directly toward the middle of the line, and he can have issues working around to plug gaps

Needs to fully put his head down to bull rush and throw blockers off their base, and can get taken out of plays

Tries to work linearly too often against the run, can let running lanes open up wider

Doesn’t explode out of his stance enough to be an effective blitzer at a high rate

NFL Outlook:

Boettcher’s most attractive traits as a prospect come from his coverage abilities, with his past as a defensive back showing up countless times on tape. That alone should warrant a Day 3 selection come April, but the issues are present and notable. He doesn’t have the combination of strength, size, and power to be a solid run defender, making his ceiling as an NFL linebacker lower than desirable. His special teams experience and skills when matching RBs in pass coverage make him a depth option, but that’s likely the realistic peak for his NFL future.

NFL Player Comparison

It's hard to find a close pro comparison for Boettcher, but his NFL future likely lies similarly to New England Patriots LB Marte Mapu, although with less athleticism coming out of college. Mapu, another former DB-turned-LB, was taken in the 3rd round of the 2023 NFL Draft by New England out of Sacramento State, and has been a rotational backer for the Patriots. He's received consistent special teams snaps and occasional defensive playing time, mostly as a coverage savant.

Prospect Grade:

Early 5th Round