The 2026 NFL Draft is over and now league experts and fans are starting their predictions for the upcoming season with many talking about the Chicago Bears.
Chicago had one of the best first-round picks as Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman fell down to pick 25, where the Bears were able to select him, leading many to believe that he will not only be a Day 1 starter, but a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate. Well, most people, at least as ESPN NFL analyst Ben Solak, release their candidates for Offensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year, and in his deep dive, he mentions Thieneman once, and it wasn't even to make him a candidate at all.
"From picks 16 to 32, six more defensive players went. Again, we can toss aside the safety -- sorry, Dillon Thieneman -- and focus on the five remainders."
Dillon Thieneman tossed aside as not a legitimate candidate for DROY
Solak explained that a safety has not won Defensive Rookie of the Year in this century. That led him to leave out guys like Thieneman and Dallas Cowboys first-round pick Caleb Downs.
It's crazy not to even consider either guy, as Downs and Thieneman are both among the best playmakers on defense in the draft. They are both coming off seasons in which they were first-team All-Americans.
Thieneman is going to be a weapon on this Bears' defense as defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is going to use him in so many ways, from loading up in the box to stop the run to dropping back into coverage. Don't be surprised if Thieneman ends up racking up a high number of sacks, tackles for loss, and interceptions on a defense that led the NFL in takeaways with 33.
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Some analysts are apparently sleeping on Thieneman and not giving him a chance to win. History is made to be rewritten, and Thieneman looks like a guy who has a pen to rewrite it.
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