Most athletes who sign a $150,000 pro contract consider their path set. For Bryce Boettcher, that MLB deal was just the beginning of a much bigger decision. He is navigating NFL draft prep with an ongoing career with the Houston Astros. The Eugene, Oregon, native opened up about his MLB team’s stance on his pre-draft process.

“They’ve been super supportive, man,” Boettcher told the media at the NFL Scouting Combine. “Obviously, they’re waiting to see how the draft shakes out, but they’ve been super understanding. They know I am from Oregon, want to finish my football career there, and understand I have a full opportunity in football.”

Bryce Boettcher came to Oregon as a top-10 overall baseball player in 2021 and also excelled in football and basketball. A three-star recruit out of high school, he had limited football offers. But he was certain about representing the Ducks. Although he didn’t get a baseball scholarship at Oregon, the Eugene native enrolled anyway as a walk-on and started his multi-sport career trajectory.

“It’s just home,” Bryce said about Autzen Stadium. “It’s like that Mat Kearney song. It’ll always be home for me. So every time I run out before a game, I still look up at our old seats, remember those days, and give a little point, just so I know where my roots are at.”

That unwavering love for Oregon enabled Bryce to persist in pondering a gridiron career, along with playing on the diamond.

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After impressing Dan Lanning and other coaches in practices, the Ducks’ #28 made the team as a walk-on. The 2021 season wasn’t special, and Bryce’s appearances remained scarce. But he kept his head down and worked hard. The appearances and starts finally started to come in 2023 as he totaled 37 tackles and a sack, playing as a linebacker.

When he wasn’t playing football, he was also a force in baseball. In the 2023 season, the Gold Glove honoree outfielder appeared in 51 games as the Ducks went 10-5 in 15 starts. In 2024, he finished the season with All-Pac-12 honors. Following that, the Houston Astros drafted him in the 13th round, and he received a $150,000 signing bonus.

But his college career wasn’t over. Thankfully, the Astros allowed him to complete his final college season in 2025.

Bryce Boettcher opens up on choosing between baseball and the NFL

Bryce is projected to be picked in the mid-rounds of the NFL draft. Though he has football as his top priority, he is still wading through the draft process and is keeping all the options on the table.

“All kinds of up in the air right now. It kind of just depends on the NFL draft and how that goes. I want to pursue football right now, given where my career has been this past year. I still love baseball, but right now I’m focused on football,” Boetctcher told Sports Illustrated. Bryce isn’t yet putting all his eggs in one basket and thinks he would be drafted “around fourth or fifth round.”

If his NFL career takes off, the Eugene native would have conversations with his GM about playing baseball in the offseason.

“Later down the road, once I’m established and one of them, which I think right now has to be football,” Bryce stated. “Maybe a GM would be cool with me playing some baseball in the off-season and seeing how that goes. We’ll have that conversation when it gets there.”

Scouts already commend Bryce for his “exceptional football instincts” as he diagnoses plays on the back of his hand. Defending the run also stands out in his game, and he executed his assignments within Oregon’s complex schemes. However, his inexperience at the linebacker position and his 225-pound size are potential hurdles. If Bryce puts in a solid outing at the NFL Scouting Combine, he may elevate himself as close as a second-round pick in the 2026 draft.