Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles and Head Coach Ben Johnson are set to embark on their second NFL Draft together. Things went well for that duo in Year 1, with the team drafting immediate contributors such as Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III, Ozzy Trapilo, and Kyle Monangai. But even after a busy transactional period at the start of the new league year, the Bears still have holes to fill. With that in mind, let’s look at some of the more promising possible Bears fits in the NFL Draft.
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Potential Target, School, Position
Info: Dillon Thieneman, S — Oregon
Measurements: 6-0, 201 pounds, 31 3/8-inch arms, 9-inch hands
Stats, Rankings, Accomplishments
STATS
2025: 92 Tackles (44 Solo), 2 INT, 1 Sack, 5 PD Career: 302 Tackles (188 Solo), 8 INT, 13 PD, 2 Sacks, 2 FFNOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
Second-team AP All-American (2025) First-team All Big Ten (2025)Prospect rankings: S-2, 20th overall (ESPN), S-2, 11th overall (PFF), S-3, 38th overall (CBS Sports), S-2, 18th overall (The Athletic)
© Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesExisting Rumors and Bears Connections
Thieneman has been connected to the Chicago Bears in multiple mock drafts throughout the pre-draft process, dating back to January, when NFL Draft insider Daniel Jeremiah pegged Thieneman to Chicago in his first mock draft of the year.
The Chicago Tribune’s Bradd Biggs also mocked Theineman to the Bears last month, and this is what he had to say about the selection:
“Edge rusher looms as the greatest need, and Zion Young would be a really interesting fit for defensive coordinator Dennis Allen if he’s available. If not, Thieneman is very intriguing if available as the Bears would have a dynamic young player to pair with Coby Bryant.”
Thieneman’s NFL Scouting Combine helium has done nothing to stop the link between the two sides, despite the safety moving up most people’s big boards. Thieneman has been mocked to Chicago as recently as this week by CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli and Fox Sports’ Geoff Schwartz.
Dillon Thieneman NFL Draft Profile
NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein said this about the Oregon safety:
Savvy three-year starter with NFL size, speed and alignment versatility. 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.
You can read the complete profile here.
Highlights
The Fit
This is what the Bears’ safety depth chart looks like right now:
Coby Bryant Cam Lewis Elijah Hicks Gervarrius OwensChicago’s safety room is functional but far from finished, and it does not currently have a player who can do what Dillon Thieneman does. Coby Bryant is a solid foundation at the position, but pairing him with a rangy, instinctive safety who can align everywhere and clean up across the back end would give defensive coordinator Dennis Allen something genuinely valuable to work with in his second season running Chicago’s defense.
Thieneman’s value to this Bears defense starts with his versatility. Allen runs a system that demands safeties who can adjust pre-snap, communicate assignments, and get the secondary into the right look against motion and shifting offenses. Thieneman does all of that naturally; Lance Zierlein’s characterization of him as “an extension of his defensive coordinator” is not a throwaway line; it is the most accurate description of what makes him special. He processes offensive formations quickly, understands route concepts well enough to anticipate throws rather than react to them, and can move from the post to the box to a big nickel role without becoming a liability in any of them.
© Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesThe production backs it up. Thieneman racked up 302 career tackles, eight interceptions, and two forced fumbles at Oregon, earning second-team AP All-American honors and a first-team All-Big Ten nod in 2025. His 92-tackle, two-interception season last year came as the clear defensive quarterback of that Oregon secondary, and the consistency of his rankings across ESPN, PFF, and The Athletic, all placing him as the second safety in this class (behind only Ohio State’s Caleb Downs), reflects an evaluation community that has watched the tape and arrived at the same conclusion repeatedly.
The Bears’ connection has been loud and persistent for a reason. Daniel Jeremiah had Thieneman going to Chicago as far back as January, and the link has only grown stronger as the pre-draft process has played out.
At Pick 25, if Thieneman is still on the board, the Bears would be getting a player ranked as high as 11th overall by PFF and no lower than 38th by CBS Sports. That is a significant value at a position of need, for a defense that requires exactly the kind of versatile, football-smart safety he represents.
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