Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show
NFL Draft Special: Reaction to Bears selecting Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman
24 Apr 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: Who did the Bears select with the 25th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft?
Let's see who it is. We're heading out to Pittsburgh. Roger Goodell headed to the podium. With the 25th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Chicago Bears select Dylan Thienemann. There it is. Defensive back, Oregon. Again, it was a clean sweep before the pick as we went around the horn and said who we would like to see them take.
Just a quick rundown of Dane Brugler's sort of write-up on Dylan Thienemann. One-year starter at Oregon, a productive post-safety at Purdue for two seasons, transferred to Eugene State. For his junior season, earned a 2025 All-America nod for the Ducks. With both of his interceptions clinching victories late in the game. Collected more than 300 combined tackles in three college seasons.
Averaged 7.9 tackles per start. Open field athleticism. Says Steelman has a lot to offer in the NFL because of his versatility. Making plays over the top in coverage or downhill versus the run. Shows impressive range and anticipation from the deep half of the field, as well as the intelligence to understand what opponents are trying to do.
Although he doesn't always play up to his testing numbers, he can guard both sidelines and sort through routes. He can clean up some things in the run game, too. He has a nose for the ball and doesn't hesitate flying to the contact point. That sounds like exactly what the Bears needed in that secondary, Ant.
This is exciting. This is a really exciting draft pick for Ryan Poles, for the Chicago Bears.
I can only imagine what that war room at Hallis Hall looked like, how it exploded as more and more picks came off the board leading to this particular player being available to them because I do think he suits exactly what the Chicago Bears are going to be looking at at the safety position opposite Kobe Bryant.
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Chapter 2: What are the stats and background of Dillon Thienemann?
And as much as I've covered literally every game of Dylan Thienemann's career. The two years he spent at Purdue, the one year he spent at Oregon. He is a Big Ten safety, so I've seen what he's done at a really high level. You go back to him being the Big Ten freshman of the year back in that season at Purdue. Ryan Walters was his head coach.
And at that time, he had Dylan Thienemann playing as kind of a center fielder, like a deep safety. And that's where all those interceptions came back in his freshman season. three years ago. And year by year, his role continued to be tweaked and adjusted. Second season at Purdue, you know, sometime at strong safety, sometime in the box.
Here at Oregon, this past season, he was utilized in that Dan Lanning defense, Tosla Poi's defensive coordinator, but it's Dan Lanning's defensive scheme that they were running. And he was moving around quite a bit. He spent some time at the second level, spent some time deep defensively.
did a lot more stem and disguise than we had seen at either point in his previous seasons of his college football career, and also a player that being only three years removed from high school, you can just tell he's learned more and more about the sport of football, more and more how to play defense at the major college level every year he's been doing it.
I actually comp him with Kevin Bayard, the player who the Bears just moved on from because he's on the other side of 30. But no player in the National Football League has had more interceptions than Kevin Bayard during the time he's been here. He was such a key cog in the Bears' success that they had last season. When you look at Dylan Thiedemann, he's six foot. He's over 200 pounds.
He's versatile. He's a sure tackler. He's not the thumper that some of the other safeties in this draft cycle are, but he is a physical football player. He tackles with urgency, which I really like to see that. He will continue, I think, to get even more formidable with the way that he's able to run the alley and attack the line of scrimmage.
So his style of play, not only does he have the awareness and sort of the field generalship that he showcased this past season in Eugene playing safety for the Ducks, but he's going to continue getting better defensively.
as a guy who's three years removed from high school, and the testing numbers being off the charts, it just ended up assuring everybody that what they were seeing on film is really legit for what it can project to at the NFL level.
Yeah, and you talk about the combine numbers, and we've heard a lot throughout the offseason that one of the main priorities on the defensive side of the ball was adding some speed. This guy ran a 4-3-5-40 at the combine, and he definitely brings that speed that Dennis Allen and the Bears want on the defensive side of the ball.
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Chapter 3: How does Dillon Thienemann fit into the Bears' defensive strategy?
Keldrick Falk, like all of these guys were on the board and had been mocked to the bears in different people's mock drafts. The Bears obviously had targeted Dillon, and they went ahead and selected him, let the board fall to them, and they got their guy.
Yeah, doesn't every GM say that? That it was a position of need and the best player on the board. This is exactly what we wanted, but this might be the rare case where it is actually true. We went around the horn as the Bears were on the clock, Herb, and gave who we wanted the Bears to pick. Was this the guy once you saw what the board was after the 24th
pick that that you wanted to see the bears take or was there somebody else you had in mind well in the in in the process i've kind of had mcneil warren just a little bit ahead of him because i just like his size combination he is that bigger body um but i the marginal like i think they were really both really really good players highly productive Ball production, great leadership.
I think he brings a level of experience to the back end. He's been productive, you know, for three years in college. So I'm perfectly fine with the pick. I'll have McNeil-Warns a little bit ahead of him because of the, you know, added size that he could bring to the back end. But I think they clearly targeted Dillon and let the board fall to them how it would.
And, you know, it's kind of around the middle line. middle of the teams, you can kind of tell that this board is going to be sitting pretty for them when 25 comes up there. And like we said, everybody that was possibly mocked to them at that point in the draft was available to them. He was the one they wanted.
And, you know, there were so many folks who were talking about Dylan Thienemann coming off the board earlier. Top 20, perhaps even earlier into the top 15. That never felt as realistic to me. Not because Thienemann isn't an exceptional prospect, but just, frankly, because of the safety position. Kind of like the running back position where it does tend to get pushed down the board a little bit.
Do you feel like this is the first of several defensive players that we'll see between tonight and tomorrow for the Bears, Herb?
Yeah, I think they need to kind of replicate what they did on the offensive side of the ball last year. They need to do that for the defense.
Fortunately for them, the way this thing is shaping up, you're going to still have some really good players on the board tomorrow when they pick at 57 and 60, so they should have an opportunity to add to a couple of different rooms, whether that's at edge, it's at D tackle, if it's at corner.
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Chapter 4: What are the reactions from analysts about Thienemann's selection?
So plenty of work to come from here at Hallis Hall.
I'll check back in with you guys. Appreciate you, Herb. There's Herb Howard of the bigs out there at Hallis Hall. All right, we got the pick. It's Dylan Thienemann, safety out of Oregon. We want to hear from you, the Bears fan, the score listener. Get in at 312-644-6767. Give us a call. Drop us a text. If you want to chime in with your thoughts. on the pick, and where the Bears go from here.
You can also watch us on Twitch. That's twitch.tv slash thescorechicago. Ant Heron, Rami Makhlouf, Judson Richards, Draft Night on the Score, back right after this. We're back with Draft Night on 104.3 The Score. Here's Rami Makhlouf and Anthony Heron. Yeah, on 104.3 The Score on twitch.tv slash thescorechicago. If you're just tuning in, the Bears pick at number 25, safety Dylan Thienemann.
Out of Oregon, we will hear from Thienemann. We will maybe hear from... from Ryan Poles before we get out of here at 11 o'clock. We'll see when he hits the podium to say what he has to say about the Bears' first-round pick at No. 25, Dylan Thienemann. And we want to hear what you have to say about the pick. Get in at 312-644-6767. That's Ant Heron. I'm Rami Makhlouf.
Judson Richards alongside giving us all the developments in the NFL draft as they come across. Real quick, before we get to some of your text, just thought it was really interesting what David Syvertson of Our Lads had to say to the guys on the morning show today about Dylan Thienemann before we ever knew he was going to be a Chicago Bear.
That's the name that's circled on my sheet right now as I talk to you guys. If there's one player that I would pass on defensive line for, it's Dylan Thienemann, and there is a shot that you're going to get. Trust me, do you want to see him in Minnesota twice a year for the next 10 years? You absolutely want to get in front of those guys, and if
If you have to sell a future one firm, you're probably going to get into the 13, 14, 15 range if you actually did that, especially for some of those teams like the Jets that are trying to get as much capital next year's draft as possible. That's one of the guys I would do it for because he is that kind of player. He's one of the most versatile. I have him and Caleb Downs like 1A, 1B.
Everyone wants to put Caleb Downs and anoint him as the second coming because Nick Saban liked him three years ago. Don't fit him in. This guy makes more plays on the ball. He's just as good as a tackler. I actually like his tackle a little bit better. He's a little bit bigger offensively. I think that would be a great move for the Bears and kind of solidify the back end of that defense.
And you heard him say there, you don't want to see that guy twice a year in Minnesota. Minnesota passed on him. They went, what, six picks before the Bears did at No. 18?
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Chapter 5: What are the concerns regarding Thienemann's performance in coverage?
And they went with Caleb Banks, the defensive tackle out of Florida there. So it sounds like a really good player fell to the Bears and fell down the board to No. 25 there. And I feel really good about this pick. And I think we all do. We went around the horn and said who we want to see the Bears take before that 25th pick. And we all said with the way that the board fell, Thienemann was the guy.
Yeah, I mean, he was available to the Bears. I certainly wouldn't paint it as Dylan Thienemann went later in the draft than he should have or anything.
There was some talk that began about him being such a well-regarded player that maybe he'd go even higher than I think most of us thought was a reasonable range for Thienemann because it was kind of like a lot of folks came maybe a little bit later to the party
Once those combine numbers were there, then there was some anticipation and excitement for a player whose film was of that caliber to go and run a 4-3 and jump 40 inches and do the things he did on the hoof. Then for many of us, it was just confirmation of many of us who knew that's a really good athlete who plays at a high level and the athleticism shows up on tape. But he is still a safety.
And it's not like he averaged eight interceptions every year. He wasn't a guy who was like taking your head off every time. But he's just really good at a lot of stuff. And he is exceptionally smart and instinctive as a safety. But coming off the board at 25, a first-round pick at a safety, that's not a position where you see ā
three different, four different safeties being drafted on an annual basis in the NFL draft. And I don't necessarily see Dylan Thienemann as a guy. I think he can play some nickel. But the good thing is the Bears won't need him to play nickel. He will be able to play either strong or free safety. He can in certain sets if Kyler Gordon has to get moved around a little bit.
Can you get some slot defense from Dylan Thienemann as well? You can certainly get that from him. So the movable chess piece that he'll allow Dennis Allen to have ā That's a really good thing for them. More versatility at the safety position than they had because you couldn't really get as much versatility from Jaquan Brisker.
He was kind of your one-shot thunder, your thumper who was going to come downhill from the back end. You got more options with Thienemann.
And we know that's the guy David Hall wanted. He left the note for Judson today that said Dylan Thienemann no matter what. David Hall is our Kevin Costner. Yes. Dylan Thienemann no matter what. That's right. That feels like an O's Perlman trick. You ever seen that? That guy gives you a piece of paper and he'll tell you what it's going to be in 24 hours. 312-644-6767. Let's check the text line.
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Chapter 6: How does Thienemann's versatility benefit the Bears' secondary?
Let's go out to the phones and out in Hyde Park. We find Benny. Benny, you're on draft night on the score. What are your thoughts on the Dylan Thienemann pick here? I mean, I'm definitely disappointed. You had McDonald right there. If I'm not mistaken, he was the anonymous All-American. I think they said he had a 91 pass, excuse me, run stop grade, and the Bears are 29th in running.
Excuse me, stopping to run. Five yards to carry. Giving up. I mean, the best defensive tackle right there for you. We haven't addressed a defensive tackle in years. We skipped over to the Eagles. I mean, I don't know. I don't think Pose cares about the D-line. There's not one D-line defensive tackle on the Bears that would start for any other team. Appreciate the call. Thanks, Benny.
I think a lot of the sentiment there is sensible. Now, you know, the Bears have used a bunch of second-round picks on defensive linemen and defensive tackles in recent years. They haven't panned out, but they've certainly tried to address that position. I think Caden McDonald is a guy who I think will be a higher level pro than Javon Dexter has proven to be.
But again, Javon Dexter is a good football player, not a great. The Bears need more greatness up front on their D-line. But by comparison, what do they need? It was a discussion we were having right before the Bears officially made their pick of Dylan Thienemann. I think there is a sensible... frustration that could be there because the Bears' run defense was so porous.
I feel great about it because I think Dylan Thienemann is going to be an excellent pro at a position where the Bears need a starter. He doesn't necessarily solidify their run defense, though, so I understand the sentiment of the caller.
And one of the critiques of Ryan Poles as a general manager, and he corrected this on the offensive side of the ball last year, was that he didn't build the team from the inside out. He didn't start in the trenches and address that and solidify that before he worried about the skill position players.
You could argue, even though we all sat here and said Dylan Thienemann was the guy we wanted when the Bears were on the clock at 25th, you could argue that he continues that trend and continues to earn that critique or that criticism that he doesn't necessarily, as the caller just said, he doesn't value defensive line or maybe just doesn't value the trenches as a whole as much as a GM should.
I think that's a fair angle to take. I won't accuse anybody of being a Debbie Downer or a negative Nancy if that's the angle that they took on this pick. Well, on the defensive side of the ball, I think is waiting a lot more for return of healthy players, right? You've got Daiwa Dangbo coming back from the Achilles. You've got Shemar Turner coming back from the ACL.
And you're hoping that Jalen Johnson comes back for a full season and is more like the guy you expect him to be. I just wonder... The draft that we watched last year was somewhat the Ben Johnson draft. They got a lot of out, including Luke Newman. You can go all the way down the list, and Ozzie Trapillo, and what they got from the running back.
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Chapter 7: What are the implications of Thienemann's selection for the Bears' roster?
Now the hope, and we've been talking about it for a while now, is that they will gain some additional production in this coming draft on defense. Good friend of mine, Jeff Schwartz, who is of Fox Sports, of SiriusXM. He was a great player for the Oregon Ducks. Covers not only the Big Ten and college football, the National Football League. He knows Dylan Thienemann. front and back.
He's evaluated his career as well. Jeff Schwartz is actually going to be with us at the top of this hour with his impressions on what this means. Because Jeff Schwartz was an offensive lineman in college and the NFL. I was just talking to Schwartz on this station a few weeks back about the Bears offense, the Bears line of scrimmage, where the needs are.
I wonder how Schwartz will feel as an Oregon alum, but the Bears didn't really show up anything on the line of scrimmage yet.
He'll join us at the top of the hour. Outstanding, and we still want to hear from you at 312-644-6767. We'll hear from Dylan Thienemann. We hope to hear from Ryan Poles before we get out of here at 11 o'clock. And as you heard Ant just say, Jeff Schwartz on the other side of the break. We're on twitch.tv slash thescorechicago.
It's draft night on The Score, and back right after this on Chicago Sports Radio, 104.3, The Score. We're back with Draft Night on 104.3 The Score. Here's Rami Makhlouf and Anthony Herron. That's us, Judson Richards, alongside. And if you missed it, the Bears took safety Dylan Thienemann out of Oregon with their first-round pick at No. 25.
We are efforting Jeff Schwartz, former Oregon Duck, and, of course, from Fox Sports and SiriusXM NFL Radio. He should be joining us any minute now. Judson Richards is alongside. Judson, just real quickly, can you tell us what's happened in the draft since the Bears went at 25 with Dylan Thienemann? Rami, I can tell you this. I can tell you a lot has happened.
They saved the trades for last, but let's go over the players a little bit.
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Chapter 8: What are the listeners' reactions and opinions on the Thienemann pick?
After a theme in at 25, Kalen Rutledge out of Georgia Tech, the guard, went to the Texans at 26. Chris Johnson, the cornerback of San Diego State, goes to Miami at number 27. Caleb Lomu, a name we certainly discuss a lot throughout the night, the offensive lineman out of Utah, he goes to the Patriots at number 28. Peter Woods to the Chiefs. Omar Cooper Jr. goes to the Jets.
And Keldrick Falk ends up going to the Titans at number 31. Seahawks are on the clock at number 32 for the final pick of the first round. And we are live from the Hyundai studios brought to you by your local Hyundai dealer. That's Ant Heron. I'm Rami Makhlouf. It's draft night on the score. And joining us now on the hotline, you see him on Fox Sports.
You hear him on Sirius XM, NFL radio, former NFL offensive lineman and former Oregon Duck. Pleasure to welcome in Jeff Schwartz. Jeff, how are you this evening, my man?
What a fascinating draft. It's like, what's like a, like, just like a completely like, I mean, the Seahawks just drafted a running back. Like, I, like, I, I, okay. I don't know what's happening. I feel like some teams got super drunk and just like, just did some interesting things.
And we weren't sure, as we've been talking about it here in Chicago, you joined me on the score just a couple of weeks ago, kind of addressing where the Bears might go with things. And the defensive front felt like a really definitive spot that they would need help. But kind of where I came down to, and I'm sure I talked to you about it when you were here with me about it, was, man, if.
Thienemann's there if a safety is available. Whether it's Thienemann, frankly, or McNeil-Warren, I would have felt good about either one. But Thienemann was the guy that I think certainly suited the Bears. Do you feel like it? How high are you on Dylan Thienemann? I'll pose it that way. How high are you on him?
He's a really good player, man. I know that traits are important, and obviously he ran well and all those things tested well. But when you watch his film, man... He's around the ball every play, right? And that's the important thing. And Oregon used him in a variety of different ways. They used him as a traditional, you know, cover two safety. They put a lot too high this past year.
They used some one high safety, but they also did some funky things where he was sort of the third linebacker and they're sort of... three safety Tampa look. I don't know what you, whatever you want to call it, where he was sort of the, they put Thursday on the field.
He was sort of the middle linebacker and that Tampa to look, and he was driving down the ball at a linebacker and made some great tackles in space. And, And then when some players he dropped back in coverage, he was a good football player, man. And that's what you're getting. You're getting a versatile player too, right?
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