The Chicago Bears front office couldn’t be more excited when they saw Dillon Thieneman fall to the 25th pick.
“Just the sense of urgency that he plays with, the speed,” general manager Ryan Poles said regarding Thieneman. “We talk about taking the air out of the defense or out of the offense. His ability to close on the football, both in the run and the pass, stood out really, really quick. As we watched it, the comments you could hear: This guy is obsessed with football, plays fast. He’s extremely smart, great leader and violent in the way he plays the game. Everything that we’re looking for. Then on top of that, you have some versatility. …Really good fit for what we’re trying to do.”
That said, Thieneman has already poured out good news with the latest report from ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.
Bears 1st Rounder Dillon Thieneman Already Pouring Out Good News
According to Cronin, Dillon Thieneman has already worked his way into first-team reps during minicamp and has been a ‘sponge’ soaking up as much knowledge as he can from the vets.
“Thieneman worked his way into first-team reps during mandatory minicamp while spending the spring learning Dennis Allen’s defense,” Cronin wrote. “Thieneman has been a sponge, particularly with his teammates in the secondary, and soaked up as much knowledge as he could from fellow safeties Coby Bryant and Elijah Hicks, the latter of whom will push him for playing time.”
Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic was immediately impressed watching Thieneman during rookie minicamp, saying, “I was thinking, watching Dillon Thieneman, there was a play…it was a little checkdown over the middle, and you can see Thieneman, just that burst to the player, and you think about the speed and the athleticism, obviously they can’t hit out here, but that was one of his calling cards too in college was hitting. So you’re kind of in your mind, you’re picturing what that would’ve looked like, and he came down like a missile from his center field position.”
And yes, Thieneman knows he’s fast. “The more you can process and recognize, the faster you can play in game closer to your speed,” he said.
Coby Bryant Comments on Thieneman
GettyLAKE FOREST, ILLINOIS – JUNE 3: Coby Bryant #2 of the Chicago Bears stretches during a Chicago Bears OTA Offseason Workout at Halas Hall on June 3, 2026 in Lake Forest, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)
Coby Bryant, the Bears’ big-ticket $40 million signing and projected starter at safety alongside Dillon Thieneman, talked more about why he believes the Bears’ first-round pick is special.
“Very, very smart, intelligent. Obviously the tape speaks for itself too, but it’s going to be a long year for him just coming from the Combine. Taking it one week at a time and any questions, I’m always there for him. Me being a Year 5 guy and he’s a rookie so he wants to go full speed and everything, so in the individual drills we have to tell him to slow down because I’m not running that fast. I’m 27, he’s 21. The speed, he’s very coachable, he’s exciting to watch, he makes plays every day. He’s special.”
It’s exciting to think about what the Bears could implement on defense schematically with Bryant and Thieneman in the backfield, and the hope is that Thieneman can continue to grow during training camp.
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