The NFL Combine is currently underway, and the San Francisco 49ers are meeting with prospective young players. One player whom they've met with is linebacker Bryce Boettcher out of the University of Oregon, who profiles similarly to former Niners one-hit wonder Chris Borland.
Boettcher spoke with the media on Thursday and talked about meeting general manager John Lynch, whom his dad was a huge fan of. The 23-year-old met with the Niners at the combine and also at the Senior Bowl.
The former Duck is a two-sport athlete as he is currently in the Houston Astros organization, but it stands to reason that he would hang up his baseball cleats if an NFL team drafted him.
The Oregon native was a walk-on for the football team and worked his way up to earn more playing time with each passing year. He had two tackles in 2022 and 136 tackles in his final year along with a sack, two forced fumbles, and an interception. In 2024, he earned the Burlsworth Trophy, which goes to the best walk-on player in college football.
Borland does not have an identical profile, but he, too, was a multi-sport athlete before committing to football in college at the University of Wisconsin. He established himself as one of the best linebackers in the country, and San Francisco drafted him in 2014 as NaVorro Bowman recovered from a brutal knee injury suffered in the playoffs the previous January.
The ex-Badger had a phenomenal rookie season, recording 108 tackles and two picks in 14 games played. Of course, he wound up retiring after that season due to concerns about head trauma. It was a totally valid decision, but one couldn't help but wonder what could have been had he kept on playing.
Both Borland and Boettcher were not touted for their athleticism coming out of college, but both made up for it with their instincts. Maybe Borland would not have been able to sustain the success he had as a rookie, and there are definitely concerns that Boettcher may not have the requisite speed to be an elite linebacker.
He is projected to go in the fifth round, so maybe the Niners can take a chance on him. Nick Martin certainly didn't do enough to show that he is a future starter at linebacker, so it may not be the worst idea to bring in another young guy who can compete for playing time.