This Oregon Ducks star is being projected to find his way to the Seattle Seahawks.
The Oregon Ducks have two players that are expected to fly off the board in the first round of the NFL Draft next month: tight end Kenyon Sadiq and safety Dillon Thieneman.
There is also offensive guard Emmanuel Pregnon, although the general consensus is that he will be a Day 2 pick.
Sadiq is widely viewed as Oregon's best prospect in this year's class, although Thieneman has gained a ton of momentum thanks to a tremendous performance at the Scouting Combine.
Previously viewed as a second-rounder, Thieneman has now found his way into the first round in most mock drafts, and that includes the recent mock by Nate Tice and Charles McDonald of Yahoo Sports.
Tice and McDonald actually have Thieneman coming off the board with the last pick of Day 1, projecting him to head to the Seattle Seahawks at No. 32.
Dillon Thieneman. Credit: Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images."Thieneman would be an excellent fit in Mike Macdonald’s two-high scheme, unlocking his two-way ability as a run defender and in coverage, while also allowing him to play from a high position to take advantage of his ability to read and close on the football," Tice and McDonald wrote. "Thieneman would allow the Seahawks to live in their five and six defensive back looks and unlock the rest of Seattle’s talented defense."
The Seahawks just won a Super Bowl thanks much in part to an impressive secondary, but they lost a couple of key pieces in cornerback Riq Woolen and safety Coby Bryant to free agency.
Thieneman would be a terrific addition to Seattle's defensive backfield and is coming off of a 2025 campaign in which he racked up 96 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a couple of interceptions and five passes defended.
The 21-year-old actually began his collegiate career at Purdue in 2023 and spent two seasons with the Boilermakers, rattling off over 100 tackles both years. He also corralled six picks as a freshman.
Thieneman transferred to Oregon in 2025 and began receiving far more national attention, and his 4.35-second 40-yard dash at the Combine definitely attracted even more eyes to the Westfield, In. native heading into the draft.
It will certainly be interesting to see when Thieneman is selected in a few weeks.
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