Dillon Thieneman became the first safety in 36 years to be drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 1st round. Of course, Mark Carrier was taken 6th overall in 1990. That’s a considerable gap from 25th overall. However, times have changed. The NFL has begun viewing safety as a non-premium position. That suggests it doesn’t have the same impact as others like cornerback and pass rusher. In reality, the reason for the downturn is that safeties are difficult to scout and carry a higher risk than other positions. Yet the Bears could not, in good conscience, pass on someone with his talent.
Several experts felt the team had managed a considerable steal. Most projected Thieneman to go anywhere from #12 to #18. So for him to fall that far was unexpected. What many people want to know is whether he can be a difference-maker for this defense. Oregon defensive coordinator Chris Hampton was asked about that on 104.3 The Score. He was not passive in his comments about Thieneman, calling him the total package and a future perennial All-Pro at the position.
Hampton’s comments on Dillon Thieneman aren’t just fluff.
It is often natural for a coach to talk up his player, but they rarely go as far as Hampton. That is probably because he speaks from a place of greater understanding than most. For one, he played safety in college, spending four years at South Carolina. He shared the field with some pretty good defensive backs, including Captain Munnerlyn. Then he transitioned to coaching, becoming a prominent defensive backs coach at several stops, including Duke, Tulane, and, eventually, Oregon.
He speaks from a place of deep understanding of the position. So for him to say Thieneman is that good, you should pay attention. After all, he is the only Oregon safety in history to be selected in the 1st round. That is over guys like T.J. Ward and Jevon Holland. Pretty good company. If Thieneman is on that same level or even above it, the Bears will have their first true star at safety since the early Mike Brown years. Considering how big his impact was, that is a pretty significant deal.
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The best Bears defenses always had great safeties.
This is the part of the lore that everybody tends to gloss over. We all remember Bill George, Doug Atkins, Mike Singletary, Dan Hampton, Brian Urlacher, and Lance Briggs. Too often, it’s forgotten that guys like Richie Petitbon, Gary Fencik, Dave Duerson, and Brown were critical to those amazing eras of defense. It probably isn’t a coincidence that the 2018 unit reached its peak when Eddie Jackson and Adrian Amos were on the back end. Safeties are every bit as important today as they were 30-40 years ago.
Dillon Thieneman has landed in a great situation. He’s playing next to Coby Bryant, who is fresh off a Super Bowl championship. He’ll be coached by Dennis Allen, who developed Marcus Williams, Vonn Bell, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson in New Orleans. On top of that, Al Harris is his defensive backs coach, one of the best in the NFL. If Thieneman can’t reach his potential in this setup, he was never meant to have success at this level. Based on what we’ve heard, don’t bet against him.
