Dillon Thieneman S Oregon |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #31 ROLE: Man-Zone Slot/Nickel Safety | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 04/10/2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.35 seconds (98%*) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #31 | |
| ROLE: Man-Zone Slot/Nickel Safety | |
| Last Updated: 04/10/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 4.35 seconds (98%*) | |
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SHARE THIS PROFILE:
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| Overall Rating: | 86.7 / 100 | |
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| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
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79% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 95.5 | |
| Tackling: |
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94% |
| Run Defense: |
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82% |
| Coverage: |
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96% |
| Zone: |
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92% |
| Man/Press: |
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95% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
1st - Late
Overall Rank:
#27
Position rank:
#6 (DB)
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| College Games: 39 College Snaps: 2417 | ||
ESPN RATING: 76/100
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247 RATING: 87/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.6 (92%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Malachi Moore - Alabama |
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86% |
| Ronnie Hickman - Ohio State |
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80% |
| Jevon Holland - Oregon |
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80% |
Drafted: ROUND: 1 - Pick Number: 25 (CHI)
Draft Profile: Bio
The Thieneman name was already part of Purdue football lore before Dillon ever stepped on campus. His brothers walked on with the Boilermakers, but Dillon took a different path to West Lafayette. Coming out of Westfield High School in Indiana, he was a three-star prospect ranked No. 12 in the state and No. 61 nationally at his position by 247Sports. He earned Indiana's Mr. Football honor at defensive back in 2022 and put up eye-popping prep numbers: 246 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 11 passes defended, and five interceptions across his high school career. Recruiting services had him pegged as a solid but unspectacular get, with ratings of 5.6 from Rivals and an 0.87 composite from 247.That unspectacular label lasted about three weeks into his freshman season. In his collegiate debut against Fresno State, Thieneman posted 10 tackles and an interception, and he never slowed down. By season's end, he had racked up 106 total tackles (74 solo), six interceptions, and two forced fumbles while earning FWAA Defensive Freshman of the Year, Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and third-team All-American recognition. He became the first defender in Big Ten history to win a conference weekly award five times in a single season. His sophomore campaign brought more of the same production, leading all Big Ten defensive backs with 104 tackles while adding seven pass breakups and a sack across 12 starts, though the Boilermakers cratered to a 1-11 record around him.
That dismal team record pushed Thieneman into the transfer portal, where Oregon's Dan Lanning pounced. The move to Eugene was transformative in every sense. Thieneman earned first-team All-Big Ten and first-team All-American honors in 2025, picking off two more passes while continuing to pile up tackles (99 total, 72 solo) and adding four pass breakups and 30 run stops. His 5:30 a.m. arrival time at the facility became a running joke among teammates who quickly realized the Indiana kid was wired differently. After three seasons of elite production totaling over 300 career tackles and eight interceptions, Thieneman declared for the 2026 NFL Draft with feedback projecting him as a top-50 selection.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Coverage instincts are top-shelf across this entire safety class. His eyes stay anchored on the quarterback, reads route concepts early, and positions himself to take away throwing windows before the ball leaves the passer's hand.
- Fluid hips and a silky backpedal at all depths allow him to transition smoothly from zone drops to aggressive breaks on underneath routes without any wasted motion or false steps.
- Elite speed at 205 pounds gives him legitimate range to play single-high and close sideline to sideline. That closing burst shows up constantly on tape when he's crashing on short throws.
- True alignment chameleon who lined up at free safety, strong safety, and in the slot across his career. Logged over 1,100 snaps at free safety, 700-plus in the box, and handled nickel responsibilities without looking out of place.
- Tackles with real intent and follows through on contact. Wraps up with textbook technique and drives through ball carriers with hip rotation that generates power well beyond what his frame suggests.
- Ball skills are legitimate, not just opportunistic. Eight career interceptions on limited targets, and he tracks the football like a receiver when it's in the air, adjusting his body and high-pointing at the catch point.
- Triggers downhill against the run game with urgency and violence. He sees run blocking schemes developing and fires into the action, posting 30 run stops in 2025 alone while splitting time between deep and box alignments.
- Competitive fire burns hot and never flickers. Teammates and coaches at both Purdue and Oregon consistently point to his obsessive preparation and relentless effort as the standard for the entire defense.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Play-action remains a trap for him at times. His eagerness to trigger downhill against the run gets him caught leaning forward on play fakes, opening up space behind him.
- Man coverage starts to crack on longer-developing routes. His change-of-direction quickness is average in tight spaces, and savvy route runners can create separation past the break.
- Pursuit angles need cleaning up, particularly on perimeter runs. His aggression gets him over-running plays, turning what should be clean tackles into ankle grabs or missed attempts entirely.
- Block-shedding is a work in progress. At 205 pounds, he can get stuck on bigger bodies when he fails to use active hands and proper leverage to disengage from blockers in the run game.
- Processing speed against complex route combinations shows occasional hesitation. Typically a strength, but there are moments on tape where he's a beat late passing off responsibilities or recognizing what's developing in front of him.
Scouting Report: Summary
Thieneman is the kind of safety who walks into a defensive meeting room on Day One and immediately earns his keep. The coverage grades speak loudly, but what separates him is the totality of the package. This is a player who can align in a two-high shell pre-snap, rotate down to a robber look post-snap, and then fill an alley against the run with real physicality, all within the same drive. The modern NFL is demanding exactly this type of defensive back, and Thieneman's college production in multiple schemes and alignments suggests his transition should be smoother than most.His best fit is in a defense that values pre-snap disguise and post-snap versatility in the secondary. Defensive coordinators who run multiple coverage structures and ask their safeties to communicate and adjust on the fly will love what Thieneman brings to the table. His coverage instincts and diagnostic ability make him a natural fit in split-safety looks, but his tackling and run support are good enough that he won't be a liability when asked to come down into the box. The 4.3 speed is the icing, giving him the kind of range that makes coordinators comfortable playing him as a true centerfielder when the situation calls for it.
The concerns are real but manageable. He needs to add some functional mass to hold up better against blocks at the next level, and the occasional over-aggressiveness against play-action will get exploited by NFL quarterbacks who are far better at manipulating safeties with their eyes. But these are refinement issues for a coaching staff, not red flags on a scouting report. Thieneman's combination of good speed, proven versatility, reliable tackling, and ball-hawking ability in coverage makes him one of the safer selections in this draft class. His floor is a quality starter who contributes from the jump, and his ceiling stretches well beyond that if a defensive staff puts him in a position to be the quarterback of the back end.
Dillon Thieneman percentiles vs other Safetys (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Dillon Thieneman (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
26.3
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
4.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.