The Chicago Bears selected Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman with the 25th overall pick in the 1st round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night.
Thineman had 306 tackles, eight interceptions, 11 pass break-ups, and two sacks in 39 college games with Purdue and Oregon He’ll likely be a Week 1 starter alongside recently acquired free agent Coby Bryant after last year’s starting safeties both left in free agency.
Thieneman had an impressive combine, running a 4.36 40-yard dash that was faster than some of the NFL’s best receivers. A dynamic playmaker who can play either safety position, he should fit right in to Dennis Allen’s defense.
It’s the first time the Bears have taken a defensive player in the 1st round since picking linebacker Roquan Smith in 2018.
The Bears have six more picks remaining, including two 2nd round picks, and one in the 3rd round.
Assistant general manager Jeff King said earlier this week that the Bears want to “create competition for the roster,” with four picks in the top 89 of the draft, and make the staff have some hard decisions at the end of training camp.
The Bears have some clear areas of need, especially on a defense, with glaring holes at defensive end, defensive tackle, and cornerback. But King emphasized their approach to the draft will be to take the best player available and maybe the best person as well, both with the 25th overall pick in the 1st round, and throughout the draft.
“The goal by the end of the weekend is to add talent, competition, bring the right football players and the right character into the building,” he said.
The Bears haven’t drafted a defensive player in the first round since taking linebacker Roquan Smith at 8th overall in 2018. Their last five first-round picks have all been offensive players.
The best player available mantra that served the Bears very well last year especially, with their top two picks of tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden. Loveland finished the season as the team’s leading receiver, becoming the first rookie to lead the Bears in receiving yards since wide receiver Willie Gault in 1983 and the first rookie tight end to do so since Mike Ditka in 1961.
Despite limited usage in the first half of the season, when he didn’t crack a 30% snap share in the first seven games, Burden finished the year with 652 receiving yards, and two 100-yard games thanks to an expanded role on offense in the second half of the season.
Running back Kyle Monangai, a 7th round pick last year, also played a pivotal role on offense, totaling 783 rushing yards and five touchdowns in the regular season and playoffs. The Bears finished the season as the only team in the Super Bowl era to have three rookies with at least 650 yards from scrimmage, with 947 for Monangai, 711 for Loveland, and 689 for Burden.
The Bears are likely hoping to have a similar impact on the defense with this year’s draft.
“That was a tremendous draft, first of all, and a tremendous draft for their offense. They need the defensive version of that,” Finley said.
Here are the Bears’ remaining picks:
- 2nd Round (#57 overall)
- 2nd Round (#60 overall) from Buffalo Bills in the DJ Moore trade
- 3rd Round (#89 overall)
- 4th Round (#129 overall) from L.A. Rams
- 7th Round (#239 overall) from Philadelphia Eagles via Browns
- 7th Round (#241 overall)
