Safety Dillon Thieneman Makes Oregon NFL Draft History

Multiple Oregon Ducks heard their names called on the first night of the 2026 NFL Draft. Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman was one of those two players, and he became the first Ducks safety in program history selected in the first round.

Thieneman spent his junior season in Eugene after transferring from the Purdue Boilermakers. The safety’s decision resulted in him developing into a Day 1 draft pick, selected by the Chicago Bears with the No. 25 overall pick in the draft.

Oregon Ducks’ NFL Draft History

oregon ducks dillon thieneman safety nfl draft dan lanning transfer portal koi perich trey mcnutt evan williams chris hampton — Apr 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Oregon Ducks defensive back Dillon Thieneman poses on the red carpet before the 2026 NFL Draft at Point State Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Ducks have a rich history when it comes to producing NFL first-round picks. The 2026 NFL Draft became the seventh consecutive year that Oregon produced a first-rounder.

Despite the success, the safety position was an area where the Ducks struggled to produce first-round caliber talent. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez was the last defensive back to go in the first round back in 2023 at pick No. 17, but the Ducks have never had a safety selected so early.

Green Bay Packers standout Evan Williams is the most recent Ducks safety to experience success in the NFL, but even then, he was drafted in the 2024 fourth round.

Thieneman’s draft made program history for the Ducks. His first-round selection could be the start of a new trend for Oregon at the safety position, which does have some up and coming stars. Minnesota transfer Koi Perich looks to follow in Thieneman’s footsteps and become a top prospect in 2027 as he currently enters his junior season.

Incoming freshmen safeties Jett Washington and Xavier Lherisse will also look to develop into special players, while former five-star Trey McNutt enters his redshirt freshman season.

Dillon Thieneman’s Special Season at Oregon

Thieneman totaled over 100 tackles in each of his two seasons at Purdue. In his lone season at Oregon, Thieneman recorded 92 tackles, five pass deflections, a sack and two interceptions. He was named All-Big Ten first team and Associated Press All-America second team.

The Oregon safety didn’t just fill the stat sheet. He rose to the occasion during big games. Thieneman secured the game-winning interception against Penn State on the road in double overtime. He also tallied an interception against the Washington Huskies and finished with seven-plus tackles in each of the Ducks’ three College Football Playoff games.

Thieneman went on to become a standout at the 2026 NFL Combine. He ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash and notched a 41-inch vertical jump. His impressive junior season and big combine performance left little room for doubt when it came to his potential as a first-round pick.

Newly promoted Oregon defensive coordinator Chris Hampton and Thieneman’s defensive back coach at Oregon, Chris Hampton, spoke to the Eugene media ahead of the draft about some of the Ducks’ defensive NFL prospects. He revealed that Thieneman invited him and Oregon director of speed and performance, Kyle Bolton, to the draft.

"For me, personally, this is the greatest joy I get as a coach when I see these guys reach their goals and aspirations," Hampton said. "That's really why I coach. How can I help these guys get to where they want to go? And so, to see Dillon get his name called and a bunch of other guys, hopefully Jadon Canady, we've got a bunch of guys, Bryce Boettcher, get their name called, man, it brings me joy."

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google