{"id":873523,"date":"2026-04-24T13:12:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T13:12:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/873523\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T13:12:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T13:12:29","slug":"2026-nfl-draft-bears-pick-oregon-safety-dillon-thieneman-at-no-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/873523\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 NFL Draft: Bears pick Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman at No. 25"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Bears<\/a> entered the NFL Draft on Thursday looking for an edge rusher \u2014 and didn\u2019t use their first pick on one.<\/p>\n

Rather than take a pass rusher in a draft highlighted by its depth at the spot, the Bears turned to the second safety in the draft class with the No. 25 overall pick. Oregon\u2019s Dillon Thieneman will pair with Coby Bryant, the Bears\u2019 biggest free-agent addition this offseason, in a remarkable outlay of money and draft status for the two safety spots.<\/p>\n

Born in the Indianapolis area, Thieneman played two seasons at Purdue, where he was named a freshman All-American in 2023 and led the Boilermakers in tackles in 2024. He started all 15 games in his lone year playing at Oregon, where he was named first-team All-Big Ten and second-team All-America.<\/p>\n

His four-year rookie contract will pay $19.5 million.<\/p>\n

Thieneman, who turns 22 in August, attended the draft in Pittsburgh. A fan handed him a chain with a Bears logo on it. He put it on and posed for photos.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a once-in-a-lifetime moment,\u201d he said later. \u201cSo I\u2019m very glad that I came here and got to experience that with the family and other people that helped me get to this point.\u201d
Thieneman\u2019s speed \u2014 he ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash \u2014 and versatility will fit defensive coordinator Dennis Allen\u2019s preference for defensive backs who can cover all over the field and be physical against the run. Bryant and cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon already fit that bill. -Allen planned to cross-train Gordon, a slot corner, at safety last year before he was injured.<\/p>\n

At Purdue, Thieneman played mostly free safety. He moved around at Oregon, playing both the field and boundary positions. During the offseason, he studied nickel cornerback.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaking the leap to Oregon was kind of preparing me for the next level already,\u201d Thieneman said. \u201cGoing to a new place, new coaches, new scheme, new environment. So I\u2019m kind of used to that change and how to make it and what works for me and what doesn\u2019t. I\u2019m able to grow from that last experience and hit the ground running.\u201d<\/p>\n

General manager Ryan Poles said Thieneman\u2019s versatility made him worth a first-round pick. Teams usually have been able to find traditional box safeties in the later rounds. Bears college scouting director Breck Ackley said the versatility of Thieneman and Bryant will encourage Allen to be more creative.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt allows us to put multiple players in the best position because of what those guys can both do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But the fact Thieneman doesn\u2019t rush the passer means the Bears are still on the hunt for one of the most important positions in the game. The team knew it needed to improve its pass rush after finishing second-to-last in pass-rush win rate last season \u2014 then failed to add anyone significant in free agency. -Defensive end Montez Sweat finished with 10 sacks last season, while Austin Booker had 4\u00bd sacks in 10 regular-season games.<\/p>\n

Before the draft, the Bears added $10.4 million in salary-cap space by restructuring the contracts of guard Jonah Jackson and tight end Cole Kmet. By converting their salary into bonuses, the Bears brought their cap number down this year but raised it in 2027.<\/p>\n

The draft started with the Raiders taking Fernando Mendoza, adding yet another quarterback to whom the Bears\u2019 Caleb Williams will be compared \u2014 both this season and into the future.<\/p>\n

Two years after the Bears picked the USC star first overall, the Raiders made Indiana\u2019s Heisman Trophy winner their latest hope to turn around a franchise that hasn\u2019t won a playoff game since 2002. The Bears asked Williams to do something similar and watched in Year 2 as he, with the help of new coach Ben Johnson, led the team to its first postseason victory in 15 years.<\/p>\n

While a shoo-in to be the No. 1 pick, Mendoza isn\u2019t as lauded as Williams was when he entered the 2024 draft. Many thought Mendoza would be the only quarterback taken in the first round, but the Rams surprised by drafting Alabama\u2019s Ty Simpson at No. 13.<\/p>\n

Mendoza, who won the national championship with the Hoosiers this year, watched the draft from Coral Gables, Florida. Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the selection from a stage outside the Steelers\u2019 stadium.<\/p>\n

Chicago-born Ohio State receiver Carnell Tate was a surprise choice of the Titans at No. 4. Tate attended Marist before spending the last two years of his high school career at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. He had 1,872 receiving yards in three seasons in Ohio State.<\/p>\n

The Cowboys moved up from No. 12 to 11 to draft Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. The Dolphins, who picked next, made Alabama\u2019s Kadyn Proctor the third offensive tackle chosen during a four-pick span. The NFC North rival Lions took another, Clemson\u2019s Blake Miller, at No. 17. The run on offensive tackles continued when the Panthers took Georgia\u2019s Monroe Freeling at No. 19 and the Steelers took Arizona State\u2019s Max Iheanachor 20th.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"UMass<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Here are players at the Bears\u2019 positions of need \u2014 edge rusher, defensive tackle, offensive tackle, cornerback and wide receiver \u2014 that could be available Friday when the Bears pick at No. 57 and 60 in Round 2.<\/p>\n

[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]
\n \u00a0\n <\/p>\n

read<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"NFL<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019ll be harder to find a pass rusher in the second or third round than it would\u2019ve been to get a safety there, and the Bears\u2019 defensive line still needs work.<\/p>\n

[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]
\n \u00a0\n <\/p>\n

read<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"NFL<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The Bears selected Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman at No. 25 overall Thursday night.<\/p>\n

[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]
\n \u00a0\n <\/p>\n

read<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Bears entered the NFL Draft on Thursday looking for an edge rusher \u2014 and didn\u2019t use their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":873524,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2070],"tags":[374,692,391,2493,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-873523","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-bears","8":"tag-bears","9":"tag-chicago","10":"tag-chicago-bears","11":"tag-chicagobears","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116459861288668420","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/873523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=873523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/873523\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/873524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=873523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=873523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=873523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}