Bears Landing Dillon Thienemen in NFL Draft Puts Ryan Poles a Step Above the Rest

The Chicago Bears' first-round pick of safety Dillon Thieneman was a home run and few, if any teams came out of Round 1 better off than Chicago.

Oregon defensive back Dillon Thieneman. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While there are certainly valid complaints with the Chicago Bears' 2026 NFL Draft class, their first-round selection of Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman doesn't qualify as one of them and general manager Ryan Poles deserves a ton of credit for it.

Few prospects in the NFL Draft had as much buzz as Thieneman going into the three-day event, yet the Bears were able to stick and pick and grab the talented defensive back at No. 25 overall.

Because of their successful heist of such a highly-regarded prospect late in the first round, ESPN's Field Yates ruled the selection as one of the best of Round 1.

"The Bears had to remodel their entire safety room this offseason and have successfully done so with the addition of Thieneman and free agent signee Coby Bryant. Thieneman has the best ball skills in the class and can fly down into the box in run support," Yates said. "He should be a favorite of defensive coordinator Dennis Allen."

Why Bears crushed the Dillon Thieneman pick

Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman. | Clark Wade/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ahead of the NFL Draft, Daniel Jeremiah envisioned Thieneman going as high as the 9-12 range.

He even revealed that some teams had Thieneman ranked higher than Caleb Downs, who eventually went to the Dallas Cowboys with the No. 11 pick, making him the first safety drafted.

"I'll tell you for a fact, I know some teams have it that way," he said of Thieneman being ranked over Downs. "I don't... I'm telling you some teams have it that way."

Getting insane value for Thieneman isn't the only reason to love this pick. The Oregon product is a perfect fit for Chicago's defense, too.

The Bears had a clear need at safety going into the draft after they let Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker leave and only signed Coby Bryant in free agency.

Thieneman checks that box and offers a great fit next to Bryant. The veteran has played most of his snaps at free safety and will likely be more comfortable there in Chicago. That's perfectly fine because Thieneman is well-equipped to play strong safety. But, truth be told, he can play anywhere.

Then, we can talk about everything else Thienemen brings to the table.

His high football IQ, great instincts and elite athleticism are among them, as is his ability to play the run and be an asset in coverage, two things Chicago badly needs after finishing with the sixth-worst run defense and 11th-worst pass defense in 2025.

Thieneman is aggressive and will get his hands dirty in the run game, as evidenced by his 69.5 Pro Football Focus run defense grade last season, and he had an elite 90.5 coverage grade, a figure that ranked eighth among safeties.

There really isn't a box Thieneman can't check and getting a player with the clear superstar potential he has at the No. 25 pick is an absolute steal.

There is no argument: Thieneman was a top-notch first-round pick and selecting him puts the Bears a step above the rest of the teams in the NFL when it comes to Round 1 decisions.