The Bears snagged S Dillion Thieneman with the 25th pick of Round 1 in the NFL Draft. Thieneman spent two years starting at Purdue before transferring to Oregon for his final season.
Shane Hallam, DS film guru: "Thieneman excels as a coverage safety who can make interceptions, but he showed strength in the box as well."
Thieneman racked up 96+ tackles in each of his three college seasons, adding 8 INTs among 14 passes defensed.
He spent two years playing mostly deep at Purdue but spent much more time in the box after joining the Ducks.
Chicago's specific alignment plan will matter for Thieneman's 2026 outlook. The landing spot looks good for his chances of playing in the box, though. The Bears signed Coby Bryant -- a deep-coverage type -- in free agency and sport no other safety that looks like a challenge to Thieneman.
Expect this rookie to show up as a value in our IDP rankings, assuming he doesn't go too early in redraft.
Thieneman looked at least similar in value to Caleb Downs coming into the draft, and this landing spot does nothing to hurt those chances.
Downs is probably the safer bet for long-term high-level play in the NFL. But Thieneman's combo of college production and elite speed -- 4.35-second 40 time at the Combine -- set him up as an intriguing target at the right price in rookie drafts.
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