To little surprise, the Buffalo Bills are closely examining the safety class at the NFL Combine.
Outside of starter Cole Bishop, there’s no guarantee any members of the position group return from last year’s roster.
Aging veteran Jordan Poyer seems destined for retirement, backup Damar Hamlin is a free agent and Taylor Rapp is in danger of becoming a salary cap casualty.
“I’d love to find another Cole Bishop and pair him right there where you can do both,” said Bills’ general manager Brandon Beane. “If we find a traditional box safety, then he’ll probably end up in more free opportunities. If we find more of a free, rangy post guy, then Cole’s gonna find himself closer to the box.”
Searching for a potential starter alongside Bishop, the Bills officially met with Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman in Indianapolis.
“It was good. We were just talking through the film, talking through some of the coverages we ran at Oregon,” said Thieneman in video from prospect media sessions shared by Matt Parrino. “Seeing how I process things, and what my eye progression, footwork and that stuff.”
Dillon Thieneman meets with the media at the 2026 NFL Combine. | Clark Wade/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Intel on Dillon Thieneman
Thieneman seemingly has a similar “dual skill set” to Bishop. The 6-foot safety, who weighed in at 205 pounds, boasts an athleticism that adds to his versatility.
After transferring from Purdue, Thieneman played all 15 games for Oregon in 2025. He accounted for 96 tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss, two interceptions and five pass break-ups.
As a Purdue sophomore in 2024, he led all Big Ten Conference defensive backs in tackles (114) over a 12-game sample. He logged seven pass break-ups. Thieneman, who made 106 tackles as a freshman, also saw punt return work with Purdue.
Oct 5, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Dillon Thieneman (31) fields a punt against the Wisconsin Badgers | Mark Hoffman/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
Draft guru’s take on Thieneman
NFL lead draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah grouped Thieneman in with Ohio State’s Caleb Downs and Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren as the top-tier safety prospects in the draft class.
“I love all three of those safeties. I had all three in my initial Top 25. I think those three guys are three of the best players in the draft, not just the three best safeties,” said Jeremiah.
Currently ranked as the No. 23 overall prospect in Jeremiah’s Top 50, Thieneman has a prime opportunity to boost his stock in Indianapolis.
Oregon defensive back Dillon Thieneman, right, breaks up a pass intended for Oklahoma State wide receiver Shamar Rigby on Sept. 6, 2025 in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“You’re going to start seeing the buzz on him start to really, really build as we get to Indy. He’s gonna run a heckuva lot faster than people think. He’s gonna jump out of the gym. He is super, super explosive,” said Jeremiah.
After NFL Combine media sessions on Thursday, Thieneman and the defensive backs will participate in workouts on Friday.