Is Dillon Thieneman Lions’ Safety of Future?

With the NFL Draft less than two weeks away, the Detroit Lions enter into the heart of preparation, looking for impact players to bring Motown back to the NFL playoffs.

In most mock drafts, the Lions choose an offensive lineman and an EDGE rusher with their first two selections, at No. 17 and No. 50 overall. However, the Lions have other needs, notably at linebacker, along the interior of the defensive line and at safety.

The safety spot looked to be secure for a long time entering the 2025 season, but a pair of long-term injuries to starters Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch leaves the future less certain than once believed.

When looking to replace Joseph’s and/or Branch’s production, there might not be a safety who fits the bill more than Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman.

Proven Upside, Versatility, Production

Thieneman started his collegiate career with Purdue, and it did not take long for him to make an impact on the field.

The safety earned third-team All-American honors and second-team All-Big Ten honors as a freshman, with over 100 tackles and a mind-boggling six interceptions and a pair of forced fumbles. He also earned the Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year award.

In his sophomore campaign, Thieneman had another season with over 100 tackles, but could not snag an interception. However, he broke up six passes on the season, and saw his missed-tackle rate drop a shade, from 13.1 percent to 12.8 percent.

He elected to hit the transfer portal but stay in the Big Ten, heading out west to Oregon.

At Oregon, all the Indiana native did was take the next step.

While he failed to record a 100-tackle season, with 96 on the 2026 campaign, he added a pair of interceptions. This led to first-team All-American honors, with his coverage grade soaring into the 90s, per Pro Football Focus.

Thieneman excels at every element needed to be an impact safety in the NFL.

He can play at either safety slot or bump down to nickel in a pinch, and is a willing tackler wherever he goes. He is a willing special teams player, too, returning six punts for Purdue in 2024 and recording three special teams tackles at Oregon this past season.

He has the athleticism to be special, as well, as evidenced by his 4.35 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine in February.

The main knocks against Thieneman are that he gets caught with his eyes in the backfield and has shaky pursuit angles, but that also comes from his youth. Thieneman will only be 22 when the NFL season kicks off this September.

Thieneman is not the traditional mock draft pick for Detroit this season, and the re-signing of Avonte Maddox and signing of Christian Izien make the safety room less of an urgent need in this mock draft cycle.

However, if the Oregon product falls into Detroit’s lap, or if a draft-day trade is made, he could become a star with the Lions.

Bleacher Report gave Thieneman a prospect grade of 8.0 out of 10, and one of the comparable grades to the All-American was Brian Branch, who was rated a 7.8 when coming out of Alabama.

Instant Impact Score: 87. The only thing stopping Thieneman from hitting the 90’s is the uncertainty of how Kelvin Sheppard will balance the snaps among safeties when Branch returns from his injury and Joseph’s health potentially improves. Thieneman is one of, if not the most, productive collegiate safety from recent years. He, Caleb Downs and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren are the “big three” at safety in this draft class, and all should be NFL starters by the end of the season. Thieneman has Pro Bowl nods in his future.