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Grading the Chicago Bears' Selection of Dillon Thieneman

Sep 6, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks defensive back Dillon Thieneman (31) runs after Oklahoma State Cowboys wide receiver Christian Fitzpatrick (16) during the first half at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

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Grading the Chicago Bears' Selection of Dillon Thieneman

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI
By Jerry Markarian | Last updated Apr 23, 2026 11:42 PM ET

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The Bears didn't wait long to address their most glaring remaining weakness. The prize of their free agent class, Coby Bryant, will obviously hold down one of their starting safety jobs, but his counterpart was previously a question mark.

Chicago just turned that question mark into an exclamation point with the selection of Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman with the 25th pick.

Ryan Poles vowed to take the best player on the board regardless of the position, and they stayed true to that formula in the first round. They bucked conventional wisdom that says teams can wait to find a starting safety.

While they might not have added a premier position, they still landed one of the most instinctual players in the class. History is also very much on their side, as safeties have one of the best hit rates among the positions that they could've conceivably targeted this year.

The Bears added some much needed juice to their secondary

Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dillon Thieneman isn't only a lunch pail guy. He isn't just a first-guy-in, last-guy-out, type of guy. He's not a scrappy gym rat who is quicker than fast. If you're aware of the cliches that I'm referring to (*cough* he's a white safety *cough*), then this isn't your first rodeo.

Theineman truly doesn't fit those cliches. He's a legitimate ATHLETE.

Dillon Thieneman was one of the top standouts at the NFL Scouting Combine. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds, which was good for fourth among safeties, and jumped out of the gym with a 41" vertical (second among safeties) and a 10'5" broad.

That 40 time shows up between the hashes, too. He's incredibly rangy and instinctive when the ball is in the air. It's no wonder he was widely projected to come off the board with Minnesota's pick (besides being a white safety, of course), as he would've been the perfect replacement for Harrison Smith. He's basically Harrison Smith with rocket boosters.

The Bears had a goal to inject some speed into the defensive side of the ball, and they certainly accomplished that goal with their first-round selection. He should help them bounce back from their 21st-ranked pass defense last season and provide them with some serious juice on the back end.

Versatility. Versatility. Versatility.

Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has always had a type when it comes to his starting safeties. He doesn't like safeties who get funneled into traditional "strong safety" or "free safety" archetypes. Allen likes his safeties to be interchangeable. That's presumably why they threw a big contract at Bryant in free agency.

Thieneman's versatility is one of his major calling cards. He's played virtually everywhere in the secondary and has the coverage chops (and speed) to be one of the league's best deep safeties. He was one of the best pure slot cover men in the class, and some have even compared him to Cooper DeJean.

NFL Draft exert Mel Kiper is also a big fan of Thieneman's game. "Oregon can move Thieneman around, and NFL teams will love that," Kiper said. "He can line up in the slot. He can play split safety. He can step down into the box. He does it all."

Bears director of college scouting Breck Ackley pointed to Dillon Thieneman’s pick against Penn State as the top standout moment in scouting him: “That’s a guy going to win a ballgame for his team and rely on this instincts.” pic.twitter.com/H45gZL8hY6
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) April 24, 2026

Really, the only question I have about the pick was whether Emmanuel McNeil-Warren would've been a better fit for what the defense might be lacking in a post-Jaquan Brisker world. The University of Toledo product was considered the more natural fit in the box.

With that said, they landed a great player and a major position of need. It's hard to find fault with the process. I'm relieved that the offensive tackle run started in the teens, and I think they should be able to improve the front seven tomorrow evening.