Thieneman was already slated to be a first-round pick in this upcoming draft, but after the most recent news surrounding Ohio State's Caleb Downs, could he go even higher than previously thought?
The combine is officially over, and the NFL now turns its focus to free agency and the draft. On April 23rd, many young NFL hopefuls will have their dreams realized when their names get called to cross the stage.
A fair amount of those names are set to be Oregon Ducks, with possibly up to three of them hearing their names called on day one. Many Ducks were able to raise their draft stock at the NFL combine, but arguably no one did so more than safety Dillon Thieneman.
Thieneman excelled in the testing stage and translated those impressive numbers to the on-field drills. Many had him already listed as a top-three safety in the draft, but his combine performance vaulted him to number two behind Ohio State's Caleb Downs.
Yesterday, there was some breaking news around Caleb Downs that may have vaulted Thieneman into the top spot in this upcoming draft.
Does Caleb Downs' Injury News Lift Thieneman Into the Top Safety Spot?
© Clark Wade/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesIt was reported yesterday that Caleb Downs was medically flagged with a partially torn meniscus and that there was also concern around him possibly having a "degenerative ACL," per Cory Kinnan.
This could be big news for Dillon Thieneman due to the fact that Downs has been the consensus top safety in the draft, essentially all of last season, and one of the top defensive players overall. Could this news, paired with Thieneman's combine performance, be enough for them to swap places?
Thieneman last season was a Second-Team All-American and a First-Team All-Big Ten selection after transferring from Purdue to Oregon. He finished with 92 total tackles, 2 INTs, 5 passes defended, and 1 sack.
According to both Kinnan and The Pat McAfee Show, although the medical flagging of Downs is something to note, it's unlikely that anything in his medical report would seriously deter teams from taking such a stellar talent.
It's unclear whether or not this injury news for Downs will have any bearing on which safety will go first between the two of them, but if teams are after a sure thing, Thieneman may now just be favored in that regard.
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