Oregon All-America safety Dillon Thieneman is leaving school early to declare for the NFL draft, he told ESPN on Wednesday.
Thieneman earned first-team All-Big Ten honors this year and second-team All-America honors in his first season in Eugene after transferring from Purdue.
Thieneman told ESPN that he entered his lone season at Oregon with the goal to play well enough — and win enough — that he could earn the chance to go to the NFL. He said that as he evaluated his options he knew he couldn’t make a bad choice — stay and chase a championship or go on to the next level.
“The goal was always come in and play one year and go to the NFL,” he said. “I was able to come in and do my thing and put myself in this position.”
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The general feedback Thieneman got from the NFL is that he projects as a Top 50 NFL pick. He credited his coaches at Oregon for helping him improve to position himself for this moment.
“Coming in, I knew I had to be on my game to achieve my goals,” he said. “I knew I had to have a certain mindset coming in. [They] prepared and propelled me to keep developing and put me in the position where I am now.”
He credited a routine that he eventually developed at Oregon where he’d come in at 5:30 a.m. every day and prepare his body for whatever was coming: practice, lift or workout.
Thieneman was one of the top freshmen in the country at Purdue in 2023, intercepting six passes and earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors and FWAA Defensive Freshman of the Year.
As a sophomore, he led Big Ten defensive backs in tackles. But he sought a reset as Purdue struggled to a 1-11 record.
“This season has been incredible,” he said. “I came in with a different mindset based on how my sophomore year went at Purdue. I found a place to put myself in the best position to succeed.”
That success has found him a next step to the NFL.
“Me as a little kid, this is the dream,” he said. “Being in this position, and going to the NFL. I know while I’m here now, I need to set more goals now.”
