Dillon Thieneman Is the 'Trained Killer' Dennis Allen Needed For the Bears' Secondary

The Bears landed a cerebral playmaker with the 25th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Jan 1, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders running back J'Koby Williams (20) is tackled by Oregon Ducks defensive back Dillon Thieneman (31) during the second half of the 2025 Orange Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Bears knew they needed to add another starting safety opposite the prize of their free agency class, Coby Bryant. With this year's class featuring a loaded group of safeties, many thought they could afford to wait to address the position.

However, Chicago's front office clearly thought staying true to their draft board was more important. They landed the player who was widely considered the second-best safety (some even had him as their top-ranked guy) in this year's class, Oregon's Dillon Thieneman, with the 25th pick.

Bears director of college scouting Breck Ackley pointed to Dillon Thieneman’s pick against Penn State as the top standout moment in scouting him: “That’s a guy going to win a ballgame for his team and rely on this instincts.” pic.twitter.com/H45gZL8hY6

— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) April 24, 2026

The Bears have an elite young nucleus on offense. Caleb Williams, Colston Loveland, and Darnell Wright are all still on their rookie contracts and look like legit franchise cornerstones. The defense, on the other hand, doesn't feature any young blue-chip players.

Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon are great when healthy, but they're both on their second contract. They desperately needed an infusion of youth and talent. General manager Ryan Poles has been on record as saying that they need more 'trained killers' on the defensive side of the ball.

"His aggressiveness flies off the tape," Poles said. "He's a violent football player. He strikes. There's a knock back element his tackling. There's speed, and then there's violent speed in terms of explosion off the spot, and that's what he brings."

They're clearly very high on Thieneman, and it's not hard to see why that's the case. He's seemingly exactly the player they're looking for.

Thieneman is a 'trained killer'

Nov 11, 2023; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers wide receiver Daniel Jackson (9) catches a pass against Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Dillon Thieneman (31) during the first half at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard. Preparation is important. When talent understands that and does work hard, that's when a player has a chance to be truly special. That's precisely where the University of Oregon product is at right now.

The talent isn't difficult to see in Thieneman's game. He ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, and that speed shows up on tape. Thieneman's a heat-seeking missile with only one intention: GO.

Still can’t believe we got this DAWG 😈🐻⬇️ pic.twitter.com/o1Cxh9wdHn

— Windy City Sports Cards (@312SportsCards1) April 24, 2026

The preparation is the hidden part. He gave some insight into his preparation habits when speaking to members of Chicago's media, though. They're nearly as impressive as his in-game skill set.

"I had two separate notebooks," Thieneman said. "I had one notebook just for opponent scout and I had a notebook where I wrote everything down. So I write everything in one notebook, and then I would compile it in what I would need to study, and what I needed to know in another one, so I could study that before the game."

I guess you could say that's where the 'trained' part comes in. Now all that's left to see is whether his 'killer' playing style will transfer over to the pros.