The best player on the Chicago Bears draft board intersected with what has been a clear need all offseason, which ought to provide a world of options for defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
The Bears chose Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman with the 25th pick in the NFL draft Thursday night, the first time they’ve drafted a safety in Round 1 since Mark Carrier in 1990. Thieneman projects to be a Day 1 starter alongside Coby Bryant, the biggest free-agent pickup the team made in March.
No one will underestimate the job Kevin Byard III did as a playmaker and leader last season, and think of it in that order because a lot of the time when you hear leader first, it’s as if to compensate for the performance not being tip-top.
NFL draft: Chicago Bears pick Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman — who ‘checked every box’ — at No. 25
Byard was an All-Pro selection after leading the league with seven interceptions and finished second on the team in tackles. He was a terrific player and one of the tone-setters in the huddle, on the practice field and in the locker room. The Bears would have liked him back, but early negotiations didn’t get anywhere, so the club pivoted to Bryant in free agency on a three-year, $40 million contract.
Now, with Thieneman, who was timed in the 40-yard dash at the scouting combine at 4.35 seconds, it’s a brand-new look on the back end. One of the things the Bears talked about shortly after the season ended was a desire to get more speed on defense. That box was checked Thursday night.
Allen did fine work plugging in veteran defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson as injuries created ongoing issues in the secondary, with cornerback Jaylon Johnson and nickel back Kyler Gordon missing much of the season. As feisty as Gardner-Johnson was, his lack of speed was evident, especially against the Green Bay Packers.
So, the Bears go from Byard and an average box safety in Jaquan Brisker, who left via free agency, to a more dynamic pairing that should provide Allen more flexibility when it comes to disguising coverages. The Bears very well could have the kind of interchangeable parts at safety that is often talked about but seldom achieved.
“Both of them have versatility,” college scouting director Breck Ackley said. “That’s what’s so exciting. You want to be able to play with two guys that can both play high and low, both fill the run on both sides. So there’s really not a weakness because they can both do everything. It allows DA (Allen) to be much more multiple. It allows us to put multiple players in the best position because of what those guys can both do.”
Thieneman didn’t get high marks throughout the scouting process just because of his speed and range as a center fielder that helped him to six interceptions as a freshman at Purdue in 2023. He can square up his shoulder pads and get after it at the point of attack.
“It flies off the tape,” general manager Ryan Poles said. “He’s a violent football player. He strikes. There’s a knock-back element to his tackling and again … there’s speed and there’s violent speed in terms of just the explosion off the spot. It’s pretty easy tape to watch.”
Eventually, if he’s the kind of player the Bears expect, he ought to emerge as a leader too.
“It’ll be interesting why you guys get a chance to meet him,” Ackley said. “He is all ball now, like he’s locked in. He’s a focused guy. The way he plays kind of matches who the person is. Like, he’s a hard worker. He puts his head down. He gets to Oregon, he immediately assimilates himself in the team. They loved him there because when he walked in from Day 1, it was all football. What can I do to help the team?”
At some point in the predraft process, positional value comes into discussion. The Dallas Cowboys drafted Ohio State safety Caleb Downs at No. 11. Thieneman was the only other safety to go in Round 1, and in the six previous drafts only three safeties were chosen in the first round.
The Bears did some deep work on offensive linemen over the past several weeks, and it’s no secret they’d like to augment their pass rush a little bit. But as they looked things over, Thieneman was the guy.
“He was standing out,” Poles said. “He was elevated on the board. We kind of work lateral and see who else is up there and he was No. 1 on our priority list. We take the board obviously before all this kicks off and we sequence it and he was the top sequence guy on our board.”
It’s the opposite of what happened in Round 1 last year. The best player on the team’s board wasn’t at a clear position of need. Yes, coach Ben Johnson wanted to build out the tight end position, but you could have ticked off two of three more significant roster needs when the team chose Colston Loveland at No. 10. The future looks bright for Loveland.
The Bears figured there was about a 50-50 chance they’d have a shot at Thieneman if they remained at No. 25. They were watching the Minnesota Vikings at No. 18, a team many thought might go with a safety to replace Harrison Smith. The Vikings pulled maybe the biggest surprise of Round 1 — maybe even bigger than the Los Angeles Rams choosing Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson at No. 13 — when they chose Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks, who has a history of foot injuries.
NFL draft: Minnesota Vikings pick Florida DT Caleb Banks in 1st round despite recent surgery for broken foot
NFL draft: Chicago Bears pick Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman — who ‘checked every box’ — at No. 25