Dillon Thieneman, Oregon
Junior
Height: 6 feet 0 inches
Weight: 205 pounds
Scouting Scores:
Physicals - 9
Athleticism - 9
Statistical Output - 6.5
Positional Skill - 9
Cumulative Score: 33.5
Overview:
Dillon Thieneman established himself at Purdue as one of the Big Ten’s top young safeties, showing strong instincts, range, and playmaking ability. Following a standout start to his career, he transferred to Oregon, where he’ll look to continue his development on a bigger stage. His early production and upside make him a safety prospect to watch closely.
2024 Statistics: 104 Total Tackles - 70 Solo Tackles - 0 Interceptions - 6 Passes Defensed
Accolades:
2023 3rd Team Freshman All-American
2023 2nd Team All-Big 10
2023 Big 10 Freshman of the Year
2023 Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year
Strengths:
Good body composition; has good length and weight is distributed well throughout his frame.
Elite centerfield safety with high-end instincts and feel for the position; shows the range to make plays as the single high safety.
Ball hawk with high-end ball tracking skills and soft hands; had six interceptions as a true freshman at Purdue.
Fluid backpedal and hips when playing in coverage; shows good eyes and change of direction to locate and drive on routes to disrupt passes.
Elite tackler with high end production as a run defender; wraps ball carriers up and drives through his hips to get them to the ground quickly.
High-IQ player who identifies route combinations and concepts with relative ease.
Triggers downhill with bad intentions; gets to the ball in an instant especially against outside runs and screens.
Has versatility to play in multiple positions and provide matchup value; has played in the slot, single-high, and deep half safety allowing for multiple personnel groupings.
Has good special teams value as a gunner, personal protector, and kick coverage.
Weaknesses:
Will need to add more functional mass to allow play style to translate to the league level.
Hands get lazy when engaging blocks relying too heavily on physicality, will need to improve at disengaging to be more effective as a run defender.
Struggles in man coverage when matched up against more agile players; has good long speed and acceleration but lacks the hip flexibility to transition with quicker route runners.
Tends to get overaggressive when coming downhill in pursuit; doesn’t break down in space, taking himself out of plays and allowing for cutback lanes.