Oregon's dynamic safety skyrockets into first-round mock drafts, impressing scouts with speed and instincts, potentially landing with a top NFC contender.
Nine players on Oregon's 2025 roster participated in the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana, in February.
Of those nine, only tight end Kenyon Sadiq was thought to be a lock to go in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
It shouldn't be a surprise that the Ducks have so much future NFL talent. Oregon won the Big Ten championship in 2024 and made it to the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Peach Bowl in January.
While Sadiq should go in the first round, the other eight players will likely go in Day 2 or Day 3 of the draft.
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA Today released an updated mock draft following the first wave of free agency this week. He thinks safety Dillon Thieneman could be picked by the Minnesota Vikings at No. 18.
"Since the combine, no one has crashed the first-round conversation quite like Thieneman has," he wrote. "The 6-0, 201-pounder combines sizzling speed and admirable instincts to make plays in coverage almost anywhere on the field.
"As an eventual successor to Harrison Smith, Thieneman would provide plenty of flexibility and versatility on the back end of Brian Flores' defense."
Thieneman finished the 2025 campaign with 44 tackles, two interceptions and five passes defensed for the Ducks.
The six-foot, 205-pound athlete from Westfield, Indiana, played his first two seasons at Purdue before transferring to Oregon before the 2025 season.
During his news conference at the combine, Thieneman noted that open-field tackling was his weakness. He noted that Oregon helped develop him into a better player during his one season in Eugene.
"I feel like I got a lot more developed, worked on my weaknesses from Purdue and that second season there," Thieneman said.
"Really focused on what I wasn't good at and was able to expand my game, play multiple coverages over there at Oregon and prepare me for the next level."
During his three-year college career, Thieneman recorded 302 tackles, 13 passes defensed, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and eight interceptions.
While his tackle numbers were lower at Oregon, he played much better on the field. It helped that the roster he played with was full of Ducks players that handled their assignments better.
It'll be interesting to see if Thieneman will go as high as No. 18. The Vikings would be an intriguing team for him to end up with, with Flores being one of the top defensive minds in the league.