Oregon
Oregon LB Bryce Boettcher fits what the Broncos look for in a player
One prospect the Denver Broncos could select in the 4th round of the 2026 NFL Draft is Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher. He is a 6-1, 230-pound linebacker prospect who is viewed as a potential day 3 option for the Broncos. The Athletic’s lead draft analyst, Dane Brugler, has Boettcher graded as his 10th-best linebacker in the 2026 NFL Draft and projects him as a 4th-round selection.
Boettcher had a unique road to the NFL. He started his college career at Oregon, playing baseball. He played football in high school, but decided to give it up and focus on baseball in college. However, in 2022, Oregon was having walk-on tryouts for its football team, and Boettcher impressed and earned an invite to work out with the team during summer and fall camp, and he would eventually make the team. He would play both sports during his college career and was even drafted by the Houston Astros in the 13th round of the 2024 MLB Draft. He would continue playing football and in 2025, had a career year, and earned himself an invite to the Senior Bowl. Now, he’s considered one of the better linebackers in the 2026 NFL Draft and could be in play for the Broncos in the 4th round of the draft.
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Boettcher played a total of four seasons at Oregon and is coming off a breakout career year for the Ducks. During his four seasons, he played in 55 games and totaled 269 tackles, 16 tackles for a loss, 4 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 4 forced fumbles. This past year, he played in 15 games and totaled 136 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 1 interception, 6 pass deflections, and 2 forced fumbles.
The Broncos re-signed veteran linebackers Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad this offseason and released veteran Dre Greenlaw. Despite these two re-signings, the Broncos could still decide to add to their linebacker room. Both veteran linebackers are 30+ years old, and the depth behind them is questionable at best. So, adding a player like Boettcher would make a lot of sense.
Player Profile
Bryce Boettcher | Linebacker | Oregon
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Arm Length: 31 1/4 inches
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10-Yard Split: 1.63 seconds
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Vertical Jump: 34.5 inches
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Short Shuttle: 4.3 seconds
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3-Cone Drill: 7.25 seconds
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Film Room
Scouting Report
Strengths
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A classic run-and-chase linebacker who will get a lot of tackles
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Has good, but not great speed, and has enough juice to be a rangy sideline-to-sideline linebacker
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Reads and reacts to the play well and gets to the ball-carrier quickly
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Plays fast and has a high motor that doesn’t quit
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Downhill linebacker who thrives in the run game and makes a play on the ball-carrier
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Former DB background and does well in zone coverage – mirrors RBs/TEs well and has good instincts to make a play on the ball and pass catcher
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Intangibles – High effort player who gives it all every play, loves to be coached, has toughness, and has the overall makeup teams look for in a player
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Special teams – Standout special teams player who can contribute right away in all phases
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Standout baseball and football player
Weaknesses
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A little undersized for the position and lacks ideal height, length, and strength for the position
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Could have issues with offensive linemen reaching the second level and washing him out of a play
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Can be a tad overaggressive at times and bite on misdirections and play fakes
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Lacks the ideal height, length, and athleticism to consistently cover NFL tight ends and running backs
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Will be an older rookie at 24 years old
What other analysts are saying about Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher
The Athletic’s lead draft analyst, Dane Brugler, on Oregon LB Bryce Boettcher
Boettcher plays fast and physical on every snap. The same range and awareness that made him a Gold Glove center fielder shows on the football field, with his opportunistic eyes to read and drive without hesitation. However, he can get nosy at times and lose his run fit, and he lacks the stack-and-shed skills to easily escape blocks. His background as a self-starter will endear him to NFL coaches (Lanning: “He’s earned every opportunity … nothing has been handed to that guy.”). Boettcher is a classic “see-ball, get-ball” defender, with the speed and play personality that will make him a natural fit in an NFL linebacker room. Although he will need the right situation to become a starter, he will be an immediate and impactful special teamer.
NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein on Oregon LB Bryce Boettcher
Two-sport standout at Oregon who passed on a chance to start his baseball career, choosing to pursue an NFL opportunity instead. The former walk-on plays like the chip never left his shoulder. He’s fearless in his downhill approach, which leads to feast-or-famine results in the run game. His size, speed and athleticism are average, but his competitive will and motor cover some of that up. Boettcher profiles as an NFL backup but his special-teams talent could be his ticket to a higher draft slotting.
Bryce Boettcher RAS
Should the Broncos draft Oregon LB Bryce Boettcher in the 4th round of the 2026 NFL Draft?
I think they will love him.
I mean this as a compliment. Bryce Boettcher reminds me a lot of Alex Singleton. He is an undersized run-and-chase linebacker who will get a lot of tackles and have all the intangibles and makeup that the Broncos want from their players. Character and makeup are huge characteristics the Broncos look for, and Boettcher checks all the boxes. On top of that, he is also a five-phase special teams player who can contribute in that role come day one.
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I see Sean Payton, Vance Joseph, and Darren Rizzi all wanting this player. He will be great for the locker room, add depth at the position, and potentially give you a starter down the road while also giving you a potential standout special teams player.
Boettcher checks all the boxes for the Broncos.
If he’s there in the 4th round, I think he will be a top player on the board for the Broncos.
Oregon tight end Jamari Johnson, after an impressive 2025 season with the Ducks, now becomes the leader at his position following the departure of star Kenyon Sadiq to the NFL.
With an Oregon offense set to return several top stars and bring in two talents at the tight end position, Johnson looks to not only improve as a leader but build off his impressive 2025 season, in which he recorded 32 receptions for 510 yards and three touchdowns.
Here’s everything Johnson had to say during his media appearance following Oregon’s scrimmage on Saturday, with the spring game on the horizon.
Everything Tight End Jamari Johnson Said After Spring Scrimmage
What He Learned From Playing With Tight End Kenyon Sadiq:
“So many, but one is training. Everybody in this facility harps on it, and it’s just a standard here. It’s like him from last year, that man strained his guts out almost every play. I just feel like I got to do the exact same thing or even more to uphold the standard.”
Stepping Up At Tight End:
“It just changed because obviously Kenyon leaving somebody has to step up and be a leader in the room, and me being one of the older guys, it just happens to be me. I just accepted that role, and I actually kind of like it, getting these young guys going, getting them in the playbook and getting them used to college football.”
Participating Again In Spring Practice:
“It feels good coming back. Feels like I have something to prove for me personally, I feel like I haven’t really done anything in college football. I feel like this year is that year for me to show everybody what I’m about.”
On Tight Ends Kendre Harrison and Andrew Olesh:
“Both good dudes, they both got that dog in them. Andrew, he came from Penn State. He’s been coming along well, getting in the playbook. Kendre, he’s a big, tall guy, getting in the playbook too. They’ve been getting after it, man. It’s been good taking them under my wing. Hopefully, we just get going this year.”
Goals and Expectations Ahead of Spring Game:
“I’ll say one expectation that we really try to harp on in the room is just going 100 percent. That’s with your effort, that’s with knowing the plays and just giving it your all. A goal is just to get in that endzone. That’s one of the goals for the tight end room right there.”
Why He Returned to Oregon:
“Like I said earlier, to me, I felt like I haven’t really done anything in college football. That was one of the reasons, and another is I wouldn’t say I’m not ready for the NFL, but like that’s pretty much what I’m getting at, is just like I have a lot of stuff to work on that’s within footwork and hand placement, block in the run game, and route details. Getting to the right depth and just touching up everything I can so when I get to the NFL, there’s none of those problems, it’s just the big problems I have to fix.”
How Reps Helped Him Improve:
“It really helped me. Last year, we ran a lot of twelve personnel at the end of the season because we had a couple of injuries, but that really helped me. This year, I feel like I’m coming in rolling off the ground. It’s just so much more fluent, and those reps really helped me with the playbook. Playbook is way easier now, and I’m getting a good feel for it.”
His Leadership Traits:
“I like to get the guys going. I have a real voice on the field, and if y’all hear me on the field, I get the guys going. I wouldn’t say I’m a vocal leader, but I lead by example. Vocal leader, probably something I need to work on.”
On New Offensive Coordinator Drew Mehringer:
“It’s been different. They’re two different people, coach (Will) Stein and coach Drew. My guy’s getting us going. I’m excited for this season.”
Supporting Dakorien Moore At Track Meet:
“Yesterday, that touched my heart, man. Just all of us going out there, and it wasn’t even just for Dakorien. It was really for Oregon. It was just more for Dakorien because we see him every day. That really touched my heart, and the connection is just unbelievable. I don’t think many people are doing that for their teammates.”
Quarterback Dante Moore’s Growth:
“That guy has his head on his shoulders at all times. He’s been growing consistently, but it’s a couple of different things. I probably can’t name them right now, but he’s been having his head on his shoulders. He’s just been on the climb.”
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Oregon
Oregon man mounted a jet engine on a 60-year-old fishing boat to blast around a lake and thinks he may have set a world record
A man from Oregon has unveiled something truly crazy after he added a jet engine to the back of a 60-year-old fishing boat – and he suspects he might have broken a world record.
YouTuber Robert Maddox from CrazyRocketman mounted a pulsejet engine and its 230lbs of thrust to the back of a 1965 12-foot Sears fishing boat.
A wild juxtaposition by any standard, and the video he posted on YouTube confirms that as the diminutive boat roars away.
But did the YouTuber actually actually get the record?
How does this 1965 Sears fishing boat get its power?
The video shows the Oregon man hurling the boat around a lake, with the engine glowing behind him.
Strapped to the back of the boat is a pulsejet engine that produces 230lbs of thrust.
Pulsejet engines are smaller, lighter jet engines with combustion occurring in pulses.
Such is their simplicity that they can be made with few or even no moving parts at all.
Engines like these were used on the German V-1 Flying Bomb from World War II.
These were the Argus As 014 engines, the very first pulsejet ever to be mass-produced.
It is a smaller and even simpler version of these that Maddox has put on the back of his boat.
The funny noise they make comes from the way in which the jet makes its power.
This old boat could be a record holder
In his video, Maddox had clearly enjoyed his outing on the boat.
“Man, this boat really is super controllable,” he said, highlighting the ease with which it handles.
The video suggested there are a few niggles still to sort out on the boat.
“It was making all kinds of fuel noises, I’ve probably got a fuel pump out or something,” he added.
Yet this isn’t the end of the road for this particular project.
“I’m going to do a lot with this boat, and put a twin engine on it,” Maddox said in the video.
Given the speed of the vessel, with two pulsejet engines, this should rocket through the water.
That means another world record could be up for grabs for the Oregon YouTuber.
If there was any doubt over a world record with one engine, two engines should end the debate in an instant.
Jet engine timeline
150 AD – Hero of Alexandria invents the aeolipile, a steam-powered device demonstrating the basic jet principle
1930 – Frank Whittle successfully patents the first design for a working gas turbine jet engine
1937 – Hans von Ohain tests his first centrifugal turbojet engine prototype in Germany
1939 – The Heinkel He 178 makes the first successful flight powered entirely by a jet engine
1941 – The Gloster E.28/39 completes the first British jet flight using Whittle’s engine design
1944 – The Messerschmitt Me 262 enters combat service as the world’s first operational jet fighter
1949 – The de Havilland Comet makes its maiden flight to become the first commercial jet airliner
1958 – The Boeing 707 enters commercial service and officially kicks off the global Jet Age
1969 – Concorde takes off for the first time to pioneer supersonic passenger jet travel
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CASCADE LOCKS, Ore. — DNA analysis has identified the remains found in a car in the Columbia River as those of an Oregon family that went missing in 1958 while on a trip to find Christmas greenery, authorities said Thursday.
The state medical examiner’s office has identified parents Kenneth and Barbara Martin and their daughter Barbie from remains located in the river within the wreckage of the car, the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office said. The sheriff’s office said it concluded its investigation and found no evidence of a crime.
The Ford station wagon thought to belong to the family was found in 2024 by a diver who had been looking for it for several years. Authorities pulled part of the car from the river the following year.
The family vanished in December of 1958. The bodies of two of the family’s children were found months after the disappearance, but the other members never turned up.
The search for the Martin family was a national news story at the time and led some to speculate about the possibility of foul play, with a $1,000 reward offered for information.
“Where do you search if you’ve already searched every place logic and fragmentary clues would suggest?” an Associated Press article asked in 1959, months after the disappearance.
Only the frame and some attached components were retrieved from the water because of the “extent to which the vehicle had been encased in sediment,” the sheriff’s office said. Analysis of those items allowed investigators to conclude that it was indeed the Martin family’s car.
Later in 2025, the diver located human remains that were ultimately turned over to the state medical examiner’s office.
Scientists developed DNA extracts from the remains and generated a profile that was compared with relatives of the Martin family, allowing for the identifications, authorities said.
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