The Draft: Second Date

I was so confident in Dillon Thieneman being selected before the Bears picked at 25 that the only mention he got during my Round 1 preview was:

The dream is that Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman drops to 25 and they take him no problem but it’s much more likely they’ll have to deal with him in Minnesota for the next decade.

Well, no need to pinch yourself. The Bears make an A+ pick thanks to some F- ones in front of them. The Vikings took Caleb Banks at 18. The obviously correct and accurate BBB had Banks as the 48th player. He was a purple player but that’s because he came with massive injury red flags. He was a first rounder if he was healthy but he has broken his foot twice in the last year. He weighed in at 327 at the Combine. Big men with foot issues tend not to work out. Usually when you need to send a letter to all teams from your doctor telling them that actually you are very healthy, almost too healthy, it’s probably an issue. 

Anyway, Thieneman works for this reason: The Seahawks defense went from good to great last year because they drafted Nick Emmanwori, a safety who was able to play big in the run game and fast in the pass game. Offenses try to manipulate formations to gain size or speed advantages. I’m not breaking any news here but defense mostly boils down to a math problem; the offense is already down one unless the QB is running so they try to dictate personnel to regain that edge. By having a defensive player that could essentially function as a wildcard to match whatever receiver, running back or tight end was utilized by the offense, it made their defense matchup-proof. Dillon Thieneman brings the same type of versatility. It’s a home run. A flip-the-bat, mug-the-camera, thrust-at-the-pitcher home run.

On to Day 2 where the Bears hold number 57, 60 and 89 but it remains likely they will move around.