Bears' Dillon Thieneman completely snubbed from Defensive Rookie of the Year rankings
· Yahoo Sports
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.
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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.
But, there's a reason for this: NFL history does not favor safeties winning the award. Even Caleb Downs, whom the Dallas Cowboys took at No. 11 in the draft as one of the best players in the entire class, wasn't ranked by Solak.
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"For as special as Caleb Downs is, a safety has not won Defensive Rookie of the year this century - they simply aren't around the ball enough," Solak writes.
Thieneman and Downs were snubbed by Solak for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award rankings, but for a good reason: history is not on their side.
It makes sense, as Thieneman won't be around the ball nearly as much as a defensive lineman who can sack the quarterback, a cornerback who can shut down receivers and get turnovers, or even a linebacker who can do a bit of everything.
As good as Thieneman could be in his rookie year, the odds that he wins the Defensive Rookie of the Year award are incredibly slim based on NFL history. It would take a true outlier season for him to win the award.