Why Bears' No. 25 pick in Oregon's Dillon Thieneman is steal of NFL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Chicago Bears didn't make any trades in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but they wound up with a great player.

As ESPN's Adam Schefter reports, the Bears have selected Oregon Ducks safety Dillon Thieneman, adding a premier defensive back at the 25th pick.

This is a huge steal for the Bears, but why? Thieneman was someone often predicted to go earlier in the draft, with the Minnesota Vikings at pick No. 18 a common link for the Ducks safety. This pick is a great one for the Bears.

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The Bears are adding Thieneman with the No. 25 overall pick, adding their first defensive player in the first round since they took linebacker Roquan Smith in the 2018 NFL Draft.

The 21-year-old safety was one of the top defensive backs in this year's draft class, and the Bears need to replace Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker.

They signed Coby Bryant from the Seattle Seahawks, but are adding a premier player in Thieneman in Round 1; it's a steal of a pick.

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With the big need in the secondary, the Bears are getting the second-best safety in this year's draft class. It's a great pick for the Bears, especially with Thieneman often being predicted to go a lot earlier than this.

Ben Johnson and Ryan Poles got to stick and pick, retain all of their draft selections, and still land someone that many didn't expect would make it here.

Thieneman is the steal of the NFL Draft so far, as he's great value for Chicago in the second-half of Round 1 at pick No. 25.

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