Chicago Bears select Dillon Thieneman in first round of 2026 NFL Draft

Former Oregon defensive back Dillon Thieneman was selected by Chicago Bears with the 25th pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. His pro career can begin!

Thieneman began his career at Purdue, where he started for two years. He transferred to Oregon ahead of 2025 and helped the Ducks get back to the College Football Playoff.

Last season, Thieneman had 96 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions and five pass deflections. Over the course of his career, Thieneman had 306 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, two sacks, eight interceptions, 14 pass deflections and two forced fumbles.

As a member of the Class of 2023, Thieneman was a three-star recruit out of Westfield (Ind.) High, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. He was the No. 13 overall prospect in the state, the No. 90 safety in the class and the No. 956 overall prospect in the class.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Dillon Thieneman

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein broke down Thieneman ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. You can read his evaluation below.

“Savvy three-year starter with NFL size, speed and alignment versatility,” he wrote. “Thieneman is an extension of his defensive coordinator, aligning and adjusting the secondary to motion and pre-snap shifts.

“He’s an instinctive, rangy safety who can roll down into big nickel or robber positioning. He has a good feel for play design and route concepts in zone but has average change of direction to match breaks in man. He’s not a big thumper near the line, but he rushes into the action with a relentless pursuit that should allow him to keep stacking high scores in the tackle columns. Thieneman checks important boxes for teams looking to add versatile playmakers in the secondary.”

Coming into the draft, Zierlein rated Thieneman as a first round pick. He compared the former Duck to Jevon Holland, funny enough, also a former Oregon defensive back.