Bears’ need for speed pushed Chicago to draft Dillon Thieneman, who checked every single box for this team
The Chicago Bears had a clear goal this offseason to improve the defensive speed and the selection of Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman continues to check that major box.
The Chicago Bears landed an absolute steal of a talent in the first-round of the 2026 NFL Draft when the team selected Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman 26th overall. Few people expected Thieneman to fall that low on opening night and general manager Ryan Poles even said it was a 50/50 chance of happening based on his simulations.
It was a homerun for Chicago with Thieneman being the perfect fit in all cylinders. He’s a high character player that head coach Ben Johnson will love and a versatile chess-piece for defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to move around.
“I mean, [he] really checked every box along the way,” Bears director of college scouting Breck Ackley said after the team drafted Thieneman. “He goes to the combine, he blows it up. He matches what he shows on film. You get a chance to meet him, talk to him at the combine, and he is an all-football guy. Everything that you felt when you met him matched what the school said — both Purdue and Oregon. So, it was really just one of those deals where he checked every single box and there were really, by the end of the process, no questions about him.”
Most importantly, he’s a lightning fast play-maker that helps the Bears continue to address the need for speed on the defensive side of the ball.
Bears continue addressing the speed concern with the selection of Dillon Thieneman
Lack of defensive speed was a major concern for this unit during the 2025 season. The Bears were getting torched on a weekly basis and simply didn’t have the players to keep up. That’s why Chicago allowed so many defensive players to walk in free agency and prioritized adding faster defenders such as safety Coby Bryant and linebacker Devin Bush.
“I just want to continue to improve our defensive speed,” Poles said back in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine. “I think we saw that a little bit Green Bay and some of the games down the stretch, I want to improve our defensive speed overall. So those are some of the factors we’re going to look at.”
Fittingly, a few days later, the Bears got to see Thieneman in action at Lucas Oil Stadium where he ran the fourth-fastest 40-yard-dash at his position with a 4.35 time.
That speed is evident on the field as well and gives Chicago another high-flying defensive back that can quickly close on the football.
“Dillon’s tape popped out,” Poles told reporters Thursday night. “Just the sense of urgency that he plays with. That speed. You talk about taking the air out the offense. His ability to close on the football, both in the run and the pass, stood out really really quick.”
The character and versatility is just icing on the cake for what Thieneman can bring to this defense in Chicago. An absolute stellar job by Poles and Co. for staying put and allowing Thieneman to fall right in their lap.