The Chicago Bears had 15 players on their board that they really liked. Their hope was that at least one of them would still be available when they went on the clock at 25th overall in the 2026 NFL draft. The process was difficult. Sitting around waiting as several names you had circled get claimed by other teams can be nerve-racking. However, as things unfolded, something became clear. Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman was slipping through the cracks. Projections had him likely going somewhere between picks 12 and 18. When he got past Minnesota at 18th overall, general manager Ryan Poles sensed the Bears’ chances growing.
We all know what happened. Thieneman made it to #25, and Chicago didn’t think twice about snatching him up. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was elated, knowing the young safety had a chance to become a great player. This infatuation had roots in watching his film going back months. However, it didn’t truly blossom until the Bears got their first chance to meet with him at the scouting combine. New footage courtesy of 1920 Football Drive shows how this interview went.
In it, Thieneman is calm, attentive, and on top of everything the Bears throw at him. His football knowledge sticks out immediately. There is no long pause to think about anything. He recognizes a play and what his thought process was during it. Chicago’s brass was stunned by how impressive it was.
Dillon Thieneman did all of that in a short time.
Remember, scouting combine interviews are notoriously short. They last no more than 20 minutes. Teams are only allowed 45 such interviews, so they must manage their time carefully. Yet it didn’t seem to matter. Thieneman stepped into the room, went through introductions, crushed every question thrown his way, and casually exited. Then he went out and ran a blistering 4.35 in the 40-yard dash. He checked every box imaginable in the space of barely 24 hours. When people talk about looking for guys who make an immediate impression, this is what they mean.
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Don’t ever let somebody tell you combine interviews don’t matter. They serve as a perfect way to make a first impression. If you can dazzle in a team in 20 minutes, your chances of getting drafted by them go up significantly. Longer interviews are important, too, but those are often in the later stages of draft evaluation when a team already likes you. The Bears already knew about Dillon Thieneman, the player. What they wanted was to meet the person. That meant learning about his personality, both as a leader and as a worker.
They got what they were looking for.
The tape was great. The interview was great. There wasn’t much else for the Bears to do. Thieneman was as clean a prospect as any in this draft. Unfortunately, there was one hurdle left. He’d have to actually reach them in the 1st round. There were some close calls. Dallas took a safety at #12, but that was Ohio State’s Caleb Downs. Minnesota, who’d just let Harrison Smith walk, passed on him for a defensive tackle. Philadelphia needed a safety, but they went with a wide receiver. All of those important twists led to the desired result.
Now, Chicago has probably its most talented safety tandem in at least a decade. Thieneman and Coby Bryant provide the kind of versatility and football smarts that many teams would kill for. If the young man lives up to his potential, he’ll anchor that secondary for the next ten years.
