Even with highly ranked players available at premium positions when the Bears chose at No. 25 in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday, general manager Ryan Poles took Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman.
It was a logical choice in the sense that the Bears had a vacancy at safety alongside free-agent pickup Coby Bryant, but it was surprising that they would double up on sizable investments at that position and bypass the chance to capitalize at offensive tackle, defensive tackle or defensive end.
While there was an early run on offensive tackles, with the top six off the board before the Bears’ pick, that frenzy helped shift some compelling options to the Bears on the defensive line. Auburn’s Keldric Faulk, who went 31st to the Titans, and Missouri standout Zion Young were still there among pass rushers. Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods went 29th to the Chiefs.
“[Thieneman] was standing out and elevated on the board, so we work laterally and see who else is up there, and [he] was No. 1 on our priority list,” Poles said.
“This was a really cool opportunity where a need and the best player available fell the way that we needed it to.”
The Bears went into the draft believing there was a decent chance Thieneman wouldn’t be available at No. 25. Poles said most projections had him going 18th to the Vikings. If he made it past that, the Bears thought they had a good chance at him and were interested in trading back a few spots, still thinking they’d land him. But Poles said there wasn’t much demand from the teams behind them.
“Violent speed” seemed to be the trait that swayed Poles to Thieneman rather than one of the premium positions where the Bea
