We are a little more than a month away from the 2026 NFL Draft, and the Chicago Bears have some decisions to make. They currently possess the 25th pick in the first round, but things can change between now and when that pick is made. General manager Ryan Poles needs to assess the roster and decide what to do. Let’s take a deeper dive into one mock draft and discuss what the Bears did in it.
The Chicago Bears trade down to 30th in this NFL mock draft
Aug 26, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles looks on before a game against the Buffalo Bills at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports
NFL Draft Analyst Chad Reuter wrote a 2026 NFL mock draft and it should be notable for Bears fans. In this mock draft, the Bears trade with the Miami Dolphins. The trade sees the Bears send the 25th pick in exchange for the 30th and a third-round pick. The first-round pick they got was from the Jaylen Waddle trade. Chicago would use the 30th pick to select Oregon Ducks safety Dillon Thieneman. Below is the snippet provided with this pick:
“The Bears luck into finding the athletic but tough-minded Thieneman available despite trading down for much-needed draft capital. He’ll be effective in the box and playing deep as a rookie.”
Thieneman had a strong three-year collegiate career with the Purdue Boilermakers and Oregon. He finishes with 302 total tackles (188 solo 114 assisted) with 13 pass deflections, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and eight interceptions. With Chicago having free agents Cam Lewis and Coby Bryant as the projected starting safeties, they can use some help in the secondary.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is going to have an improved secondary if this is the way the team decides to go with their pick. The defense was the weakest part of the Bears in 2025, so this would be a welcomed addition. It would be intriguing to see if the team goes to help the secondary in the first round of the draft.
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