The Las Vegas Raiders have plenty of avenues they can go down with the 36th overall pick of the 2026 NFL draft, partially because the defense has plenty of holes that need to be filled. One of the Raiders’ biggest needs is at safety, putting Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman on general manager John Spytek’s radar.
Conveniently, Thieneman currently ranks 36th overall and as the third-best safety in the draft class on NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board (as of Feb. 24), putting him in a good spot to head to Las Vegas. Also, the former Duck would bring some much-needed versatility to the Raiders’ secondary.
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Thieneman was primarily a free safety during his first two college seasons at Purdue. However, after transferring to Oregon, he recorded a career-high 434 snaps in the box during the past campaign, while still playing nearly 250 snaps on the back end of the defense, according to Pro Football Focus. Additionally, he lined up over the slot for another 118 snaps.
So, beyond having experience playing multiple positions on defense, what could the former Boilermaker and Duck bring to Las Vegas? Let’s flip on the tape and find out.
Playing more strong safety in 2025 allowed Thieneman to stand out more as a run defender, recording a 75.9 PFF run defense grade and 18 ‘defensive stops’ against the run. The latter was tied for fifth among Big Ten safeties, and the clip above is a good example of how that figure came to be.
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Oregon used this defensive formation a lot, where Thieneman is about six to seven yards off the line of scrimmage and in the A-gap, almost playing more like a deep middle linebacker. That can help a defender get the full picture of the offense’s play call, allowing his instincts to shine through.
Once Thieneman recognizes USC is running a halfback dive to the wide side of the field, he starts to creep down toward the line of scrimmage. However, rather than crashing downhill with reckless abandon, he’s measured to avoid getting caught in the trash and running into a block. That gives him more space to operate and make the guard miss. Considering the safety is at about a 110-pound disadvantage in that matchup, that’s a smart decision.
From there, Thieneman makes a nice form tackle, using a wide base and good knee bend to get low while wrapping up on contact, stopping the running back’s momentum and limiting the offense to a short game. Granted, that doesn’t come without some help, as being a more forceful tackler is one area of improvement for the former Duck. But the biggest reason this is a positive play for the defense is that its safety provided excellent run support.
This time, Thieneman is on the backend of the defense and lined up over the slot. His football IQ is on display pre-snap, directing traffic when the Trojans shift their two tight ends out wide and pointing out the jet sweep as soon as wide receiver and projected first-round pick Makai Lemon starts to motion across the formation.
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But this isn’t just pure jet sweep from USC. It’s an inverted veer where the quarterback has the option to keep the ball and run off left tackle on the power run that the offensive line is blocking for. So, the safety stays inside the hash mark to protect against the quarterback run until he sees the handoff. Once the exchange happens, Thieneman crashes downhill and has the speed to meet Lemon at the line of scrimmage, making a nice open-field tackle for no gain.
This is a great example of a deep defender providing run support to make an impact play.
This is pretty similar to contributing as a run defender. Another element of the Oregon product’s game that stands out is his ability to defend screens, and the rep above combines a few elements from the last two clips.
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Thieneman lines up in the same strong safety/deep MLB alignment seen previously, as Penn State motions the tight end to the wide side of the field and throws a swing pass to the running back. Meanwhile, Thieneman starts to cheat to the tight end pre-snap and immediately flows toward the sideline post-snap. Then, he makes a move to defeat the wide receiver’s block and be in a position to make the tackle on the running back, preventing a one-on-one situation between the running back and deep safety in the open field.
Granted, this is another example of Thieneman giving up extra yards after contact, which is going to be an issue at the next level, especially against running backs. But defensive coordinators can trust him to be in the right spot and make tackles, recording just nine misses at an 8.3 percent rate last season, per PFF. It’s just a matter of adding some extra size and strength if he’s going to be playing in the box frequently in the NFL.
We’ll take a look at another screen here, and this time, our subject comes from depth to save the defense from potentially giving up an explosive play.
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It looks like the Ducks are running Cover 4, putting Thieneman 15 yards past the line of scrimmage when the ball is thrown. Once he recognizes the screen, the safety crashes downhill and pursues to the football. The latter is a basic fundamental but ends up being crucial on this rep since the cornerback misses the tackle.
Luckily, Thieneman takes a good angle to cut off the wide receiver and makes the open-field tackle to keep this play to a relatively short gain. Had he loafed and not been in the right spot, this would have been at least a first down and a potential touchdown. But the safety does his job and keeps the defense in a position to get off the field.
Moving on to a couple of coverage reps against downfield passes, the former Duck’s sure tackling continues to shine.
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Penn State does gain nine yards on this play, but that’s primarily due to a good play call against Oregon’s defense. They’re in Cover 7 (a variation of Cover 3 with man-match principles), where the two defensive backs are playing with outside leverage to funnel the receivers toward the middle of the field. However, the Nittany Lions run play action where the offensive line and running back sell an outside toss toward the short side of the field, getting the linebackers to step toward the line of scrimmage and away from the drag route from the outside receiver.
As a result, the drag is wideopen for an easy pitch and catch. But Thieneman recognizes that, immediately crashes downhill from a single-high alignment and makes a great tackle to prevent yards after the catch and a first down. Facing a 2nd and one, the defense is still in an adverse situation, but it at least has a chance to get off the field with a couple of short-yardage stops thanks to its safety.
We’ll wrap up with the best play Thieneman made last season, in my opinion.
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It’s overtime and Penn State needs to score to keep the game alive. They dial up a play-action pass, and the safety starts to crash downhill on the run fake. However, he uses that to his advantage by continuing to move toward the line of scrimmage well after the quarterback pulls the ball from the running back, baiting the quarterback into the throw.
Once the quarterback starts his throwing motion, Thieneman hits the brakes and pivots toward the sideline to close the gap against the tight end on a wheel route. Finally, he shows off some athleticism by going up and high-pointing the ball in the air to come down with a game-winning interception and pull off the big win on the road.
This play also had ramifications for the rest of the season. It was Penn State’s first loss, eventually leading to James Franklin getting fired as head coach, and helped propel Oregon into a 13-2 record and a run in the College Football Playoffs. Talk about making an impact!
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