Inside the Astros

Astros 2024 Draft Pick Currently Starring For Top-Ranked Oregon Football Team

A 2024 Houston Astros draft selection may be playing himself into the NFL with an elite season for the top-ranked Oregon Ducks.

Dylan Sanders

Oregon inside linebacker Bryce Boettcher celebrates with fans after the game as the Oregon State Beavers host the Oregon Ducks Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore.
Oregon inside linebacker Bryce Boettcher celebrates with fans after the game as the Oregon State Beavers host the Oregon Ducks Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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An exciting late-round selection by the Houston Astros from the 2024 MLB draft could be playing himself into the NFL thanks to a great college football season with the Oregon Ducks.

Outfielder Bryce Boettcher was taken in the 13th round after an intriguing final year of baseball for the Ducks.

Boettcher has already signed a contract with the team and is set to join them after playing football for Oregon this season.

The problem is, he is actually playing so well that he could end up in the NFL draft as well, which would lead him to an interesting decision, and one that might not bode well for Houston.

The 22-year-old was inconsistent at the plate in college, but posted a solid .276/.372/.500 slash line with 12 home runs and 35 RBI, while also stealing 15 bases.

His defensive upside and athleticism is the main reason why he was drafted, and his power-plus speed combination makes him really exciting.

As a linebacker for the top-ranked Ducks, Boettcher has a team-leading 69 tackles with a sack and an interception. He also has four passes broken up.

His athleticism really shines in coverage and would be a leading force in him getting drafted. The good news for the Astros is that he is a little undersized for an NFL linebacker, so he would either need to put on a good bit of weight on or be able to move to more of a safety role at the next level.

There is already precedent set for a player signing an MLB contract, even going as far as to play minor league games with the team, but then being drafted into the NFL and choosing football.

Before he was hoisting a Lombardi with the Seattle Seahawks, Russell Wilson was suiting up for the Colorado Rockies Single-A affiliate. He played in both 2010 and 2011 after being a fourth-round selection in the 2010 MLB draft.

Wilson posted a .229/.355/.356 slash line which wasn't bad, but not overwhelmingly good.

The Seahawks then drafted him in the third round of the NFL draft in 2012 and that is what he chose.

It obviously isn't the same exact situation with Wilson being a higher pick in the NFL, and with him being a quarterback, the choice was easy.

The guaranteed initial money for an NFL draft pick will always be better than what a 13th-round MLB draft pick gets, but Boettcher could opt for the one he thinks he has a brighter future in.

In all likelihood, though, if he continues playing well enough to end up in the NFL draft, then Houston could be down a signee before he even suits up with the team.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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