The Chicago Bears made a necessary move when they used the No. 25 pick to get some help for their defensive backfield. Oregon star Dillon Thieneman surprisingly fell right into their laps, and they couldn't afford to pass on him.
Thieneman was one of the most intriguing prospects at the position, which is a lot to say for a class that also featured the likes of Caleb Downs and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. Also, he would help address a crucial need in the Windy City.
Notably, it didn't take long before the rookie out of Oregon proved to be as good as advertised. According to ESPN Bears insider Courtney Cronin, he emerged as one of the biggest winners of spring workouts.
The Chicago Bears struck gold with Dillon Thieneman pick
“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.”
The Seattle Seahawks just laid the blueprint of a modern defense. Nick Emmanwori gave defensive coordinator Aden Durde and head coach Mike Macdonald a true Swiss Army knife and the versatility to create so many different looks and mismatches on defense.
Thieneman has a similar skill set. He can stack the box as a hard-hitting linebacker and hold his ground against tight ends and running backs, or he can drop back in coverage and disrupt passes at the catch point.
The Bears can deploy him at both safety spots and big nickel, and that will be crucial to a defensive backfield that lost multiple key contributors this offseason. He will be one of Dennis Allen's every-down guys.
Also, with defensive back coach Al Harris working closely with him, he should be able to create more turnovers as a rookie than he did in college. He showed a strong nose for the ball with six interceptions as a freshman, and that should translate perfectly to the pros.
Admittedly, the Bears have plenty of defensive concerns to address. Their defensive line and pass rush left plenty to be desired last season, and they have done next to nothing to get better for the upcoming season.
However, they had one of the best secondaries in the game. They led the league in takeaways and made big plays after big plays when they needed to flip the field and give Caleb Williams a chance to lead a comeback.
Like all rookies, there will be a learning curve and some growing pains, but he's already far ahead of schedule. And with no true competition for reps and the ability to play over the backfield, the Bulls will give him as much as he can handle right out of the gate.
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