Dillon Thieneman's journey from Westfield to Purdue football to Oregon reached the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday.
The Chicago Bears selected the safety with the 25th overall pick during ceremonies outside Pittsburgh's Acrisure Stadium. The former freshman All-American with the Boilermakers elevated his draft stock in February with his 4.35-second 40-yard dash time and other workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Thieneman grabbed attention as a Purdue freshman with six interceptions, tied for second nationally. He broke up two other passes and led the team with 106 tackles.
While he broke up seven passes as a sophomore, he did not intercept any. He again led the Boilermakers with 104 tackles, but the entire team's performance regressed to a 1-11 record. Thieneman entered the transfer portal following the firing of coach Ryan Walters.
Thieneman recorded 94 tackles in his lone season with the Ducks, adding two interceptions and five pass breakups. He helped the Ducks reach the College Football Playoff semifinals, and the team's only two losses came against national champion Indiana.
As a senior, Thieneman posted an overall PFF grade of 91.0, second among safeties only to Toledo's Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. He was one of 15 defensive players at any position with a grade that high.
Thieneman built a reputation as one of the best high school football players in Indiana while leading Westfield to state runner-up finishes in 2020-21. A torn MCL two days before his senior season opener cost him much of the 2022 season. He recovered to help Westfield win another sectional championship.
He was voted the Indiana Mr. Football position winner for defensive backs by the state's coaches.
Those high school accolades did not directly result in recruiting attention. Thieneman was a consensus three-star prospect, ranked barely inside the top 1,000 players in the 2023 signing class. Most of his scholarship offers came from the MAC or other Group of Five programs. Minnesota, IU and Purdue were the only power conference offers.
At both Purdue and Oregon, his single-minded work ethic earned the respect of teammates and coaches. The rigors of NFL expectations and commitment should not be much of an adjustment.
Walters implemented a Cover 1 scheme at Purdue and from opening day made Thieneman the backbone as a single-high safety. He thrived there as a freshman thanks to his ball hawk tendencies while playing on a defense which also featured edge rusher Nic Scourton, a 2025 second-round pick of the Carolina Panthers.
With Scourton gone, the Boiler defense regressed to one of the worst in the nation and possibly the worst in program history. Thieneman was often left to close the escape hatch on a leaky front seven at a frequency which naturally left him exposed to allowing some big plays. However, he also assessed his own performance and made improvement as an open-field tackler a focus for his final season at Oregon.
The Ducks moved him around the defense. While he continued to rep at free safety, he also played in the box much more than at Purdue.
That versatility enhanced his draft stock, as he is considered a fit in various NFL systems. NFL teams could look to him for nickel/slot help or as a sub linebacker.
One reason teams shied away from offering Thieneman was because they were convinced early he would end up at Purdue.
Thieneman's older brothers Brennan and Jake both walked on to the Boilermakers as defensive backs. Both eventually earned scholarships and worked their way into the starting lineup.
Jake Thieneman signed with the San Francisco 49ers out of Purdue but did not play any NFL games.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Dillon Thieneman picked by Chicago Bears in 2026 NFL draft: Stats, analysis