ESPN Update Shifts Spotlight onto the Vikings’ Main Man

Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images If the Vikings had a main man going into the 2026 NFL Draft , then Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman would have to be the clear winner. The athletic Duck was featured within a recent ESPN update . The premise of the article involves highlighting the “draft risers.

” Jeff Legwold, the author, writes, “With the 2026 NFL draft less than two weeks away, we identified seven players who have gained the most ground since the beginning of the 2025 season. ” Coming in quite high is the defensive back who boasts insane speed. ESPN Update: Dillon Thieneman Generating Hype & is Rising To begin, there’s some clarity about how Thieneman has ascended .

The assessment from Legwold: “There are a few players in every draft with an extensive enough body of work to make league evaluators comfortable. Then there are the players who shake things up a bit at the Senior Bowl or the combine, forcing evaluators to take another look. Thieneman fits into the latter bucket and has likely moved from a mid-to-late Day 2 pick into the first round as part of a sturdy safety class.

” Jan 1, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders running back J’Koby Williams (20) is tackled by Oregon Ducks defensive back Dillon Thieneman (31) during the second half of the 2025 Orange Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Despite playing plenty of football, a situation that allows for ample room to assess the safety’s abilities, Thieneman’s testing prompted NFL people to reconsider what had previously been thought: “he uncorked a 4. 37-second 40-yard dash and a 41-inch vertical at the combine at 6-foot, 201 pounds.