Something that intrigued Ryan Poles about Dillon Thieneman was his ability to make big plays in high-pressure moments. The Bears' rookie will have to become comfortable in Dennis Allen's defense to capitalize on those plays in the NFL.
When Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles talked about his impressions of Dillon Thieneman on Thursday night, he highlighted his ability to take the air out of an offense.
One play that came to mind for Thieneman occurred against Penn State last season. With the Oregon Ducks up 30-24 in double overtime in Happy Valley, someone needed to make play to end the game.
Thieneman read quarterback Drew Allar's eyes and intercepted a pass intended for the Penn State tight end down the right sideline. Ballgame over.
“It's a white out game, College GameDay, the stadium's going super loud, double overtime,” Thieneman said. “To get the pick and then everything just goes silent. I could hear all the Oregon fans and my family yelling up in the stands. That was awesome.”
It's those types of plays in those types of moments that resonated with Poles and the rest of this Bears coaching staff. It's a part of the reason why the Bears selected Thieneman with the 25th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
“We want players that can rise to the level,” Poles said. “We plan on playing a lot of big games moving forward. We're going to -- I don't know what the schedule is going to be, but I'm sure there's going to be a lot of primetime games. There's going to be -- hopefully we're back deep into the playoffs. So, we need guys that thrive in those moments, so when you show those things, we feel even better about you.”
And how Thieneman will continue making those game-changing plays is by learning defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's defense. When he becomes comfortable on the backend with fellow safety Coby Bryant, then Thieneman can take more of those calculated risks.
“I think that just comes with experience,” Thieneman said. “Experience watching the game, experience playing, going against certain teams, certain offenses, playing in different defensive schemes and trusting your guys around you. I can't tell you like, ‘I do this, I do that. In another situation you do this.’ It's more just a feel for it.”
That feel will come with reps and the more time he is around NFL coaching. And Thieneman's journey from Purdue to Oregon is something he can lean on to help him acclimate to the NFL.
“I feel like making the leap to Oregon was preparing me for the next level already," Thieneman said on Thursday. "I'm going to a new place, new coaches, new scheme, new environment. So, I'm used to that change. I know how to make it and what works for me and what doesn't. So, I'm kind of able to grow from that last experience and I think hit the ground running.”