‘This guy's obsessed with football': How a narrower draft board led the Bears to Dillon Thieneman

CHICAGO - The Chicago Bears know who they are. Or at least, they know who they want to be.

Since coach Ben Johnson arrived a little more than a year ago, his vision and decisiveness have helped give the Bears front office a clear picture of the type of players who fit his team.

"This staff is unbelievable with just giving clarity," Bears general manager Ryan Poles said. "And I think as we continue to work with each other, we're going to know exactly what we're looking for. So why mess around with (players) that don't fit what we're trying to do?"

The Bears didn't on Thursday night when they selected Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman with the No. 25 pick in the NFL draft.

"This guy's obsessed with football, he plays fast, he's extremely fast, a great leader, violent in the way that he plays the game - everything that we're looking for," Poles said.

Behind Johnson's vision, the Bears made a change this year. They went into draft week with a narrower list of players to target. Other teams might look at the board in the Bears draft room at Halas Hall and say it looked thin.

That was just fine with Poles and Johnson.

"Our scouts do an unbelievable job gathering information, and then our coaching staff's really clear what they're looking for," Poles said. "So it's a really good marriage."

The Bears had a need at safety. Both starting safeties from last season left in free agency - Kevin Byard to the New England Patriots and Jaquan Brisker to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bears signed safety Coby Bryant, fresh off winning the Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks, in March but still had a vacancy for the other starting safety spot.

Despite the need at the position, the Bears weren't going to force a safety into the 25th pick if it didn't make sense. They were excited about Thieneman's potential in coordinator Dennis Allen's defense, but they also weren't necessarily optimistic Thieneman would be available when it was their turn. Poles said that during their predraft simulations, there was about a 50-50 chance Thieneman would remain unclaimed when the pick arrived.

On draft night, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs went at No. 11 to the Dallas Cowboys. Downs was the only safety selected ahead of Thieneman. Just ahead of the Bears, the Minnesota Vikings at No. 18 and the Carolina Panthers at No. 19 looked like teams that could have a need at safety.

The Vikings went with Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks and the Panthers selected Georgia offensive tackle Monroe Freeling. With each passing pick, Thieneman was still on the board.

Thieneman, 21, was at the draft in Pittsburgh, watching from the green room with friends and family. When the Bears were up at No. 25, he picked up the phone and spoke briefly with Poles, Johnson and team President and CEO Kevin Warren.

"We loved everything you put on tape, man," Johnson told Thieneman over the phone. "You're going to fit just like a glove."

On Friday, Thieneman and his family were at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Ill.,taking it all in.

"I know this team has a lot of history," Thieneman said. "It's been awesome to kind of see that displayed as you walk through the building. I'm just happy to get in and get to work."

The Westfield, Ind., native played two years at Purdue - leading the Boilermakers in tackles both seasons - before transferring to Oregon ahead of last season. He emerged as a second-team All-American for the Ducks in 2025.

In Thieneman, the Bears landed a versatile defensive back who can play all over the field. He can play both strong safety and free safety, and he has some experience at the nickel cornerback spot. He's exactly the type of chess piece Allen, the defensive coordinator, will use to try to confuse an opposing offense.

Poles also has been talking about adding speed to the defense since last season ended in January. The Bears sometimes struggled against teams with speedy wide receivers late in the season. Most notable was a December loss against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, when Packers speedster Christian Watson blew past the entire Bears secondary for a touchdown in the second half.

Poles adjusted in the offseason by signing Bryant and linebacker Devin Bush, one of the fastest linebackers in the NFL, in March. It's easy to look at Thieneman, who ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine in February, and say he is fast. It's not only his speed in a sprinting competition that stands out, but also the way his speed shows up in live football action.

Bears director of college scouting Breck Ackley said Thieneman's combine time only confirmed what they saw on tape - a quick-processing defensive back who could fly. Speed only goes so far as a defender in football if you can't diagnose what's happening in front of you.

Thieneman has the unique combination of both.

"I have always been fast," Thieneman said. "I feel like it's really picked up being in college. I know my brothers will joke, I used to be like, ‘race down the driveway' all the time. Racing them or racing the car on the way home from school."

Growing up in Westfield, about 20 miles north of Indianapolis, Thieneman learned to play sports from his two older brothers, Jake and Brennan. Both brothers also played safety at Purdue. Thieneman followed in their footsteps before transferring to Oregon.

Thieneman did more than run fast at the combine. That also was where he really connected with the Bears.

"I had a formal (interview) with them that went really well," Thieneman said. "I feel I really connected with all the guys there. And then I hadn't talked to them too much. But I knew that they had a lot of interest in me."

The next two months went by without much interaction with the Bears - until Poles called Thursday night to inform Thieneman he was their pick.

"It's been incredible," Thieneman said. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime moment."

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This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 7:22 PM.