The Chicago Bears were hoping and praying as they got their wish with the 25th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Chicago ended up selecting Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman with that pick, which was a surprise that he got as far down as 25 in the first round. Thieneman had a chance to speak with reporters for the first time since being selected, and he was a bit honest about his new defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen.
"I'm not too familiar with Dennis Allen, but I'm sure we'll get to know each other quite well," Thieneman said via CHGO.
Dillon Thieneman will have time to get to know Dennis Allen well
What Thieneman needs to know is that he is about to be a perfect weapon on Allen's defense. Allen is used to having great defensive backs in the secondary to create turnovers, as they did last year, when they led the NFL with 33 takeaways.
Thieneman certainly showed some of those traits last year with 92 tackles, five pass deflections, two interceptions, and one sack at Oregon. Those numbers were actually down from what he was doing at Purdue, showing there is potential for greatness.
The Bears now have the ability to use Thieneman in so many ways on this defense, from being in the box to dropping back into pass coverage. He can help in so many ways that Allen is going to move him around the field like a chess piece.
While all the talk was about the Bears looking at adding an offensive tackle in the first round, they seem to get a solid defender when they needed it. The departures of five starting secondary players and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds left the Bears needing to make their defense younger and faster.
Read more: Ryan Poles perfectly explains Bears landing steal of the draft Dillon Thieneman
Chicago should be happy with Thieneman and his fit in Allen's system. Let's see how the two get along in the next four to five years of the young man's career.
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