Bears' Dillon Thieneman completely snubbed from Defensive Rookie of the Year rankings
The Bears rookie safety doesn't have a chance according to this analyst.
Bears' Dillon Thieneman completely snubbed from Defensive Rookie of the Year rankings originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Chicago Bears got one of the biggest steals of the 2026 NFL Draft when Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman fell to them at No.
25 overall. Most mock drafts didn't have Thieneman getting past the Minnesota Vikings or the Carolina Panthers at Nos. 18 and 19, but he slid and landed with the Bears for some great value.
However, ESPN's Ben Solak doesn't give Thieneman any chance to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award this season, as he is completely snubbing the Bears' first-round pick from the awards category. Bears' Dillon Thieneman brutal snub from DROY race "From picks 16 to 32, six more defensive players went," Solak writes. "Again, we can toss aside safety - sorry, Dillon Thieneman - and focus on the five remainders.
" Solak is completely discounting Thieneman's chances to win the DROY award, as he's not even including him in the possible long-shot candidates. Caleb Banks, Akheem Mesidor, Malachi Lawrence, Chris Johnson, Peter Woods, and even Day 2 picks Jacob Rodriguez, Josiah Trotter, Jake Golday, CJ Allen, and Anthony Hill Jr. , all were higher than Thieneman in the Defensive Rookie of the Year rankings.