IOWA CITY, IA - NOVEMBER 08: Dillon Thieneman #31 of the Oregon Ducks lines up on defense during a college football game against the Iowa Hawkeyes on November 08, 2025 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Sitting at No. 31 in the NFL Draft, the New England Patriots might be looking at limited options in the first round. However, they are not afraid to make a move up the board either if an opportunity presents itself. Obviously, that opportunity would be closely tied to which players are available; there are only so many worth trading up for.Would Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman fall into that category?

Let’s look at what he brings to the table.Hard factsName: Dillon ThienemanPosition: SafetySchool: Oregon (Jr.)Opening day age: 22 (8/8/2004)Measurements: 6’0 1/8”, 201 lbs, 31 3/8” arm length, 9” hand size, 4.35s 40-yard dash, 41” vertical jump, 10’5” broad jump, 18 bench press reps, 9.71 Relative Athletic ScoreExperienceColleges: Purdue (2023-24), Oregon (2025)Career statistics: 39 games (39 starts) | 2,417 defensive snaps, 379 special teams snaps, 5 offensive snaps | 306 tackles, 40 missed tackles (13.1%), 10 TFLs, 2 FFs | 12 QB pressures (2 sacks, 4 hits, 6 hurries) | 68 targets, 44 catches surrendered (64.7%), 494 yards, 6 TDs, 8 INTs, 16 PBUs | 10 special teams tackles, 1 missed special teams tackle (9.1%) | 9 punt returns, 67 yards (7.4/return) | 2 penalties (incl. 0 declined/offsetting)Accolades: First-team All-Big Ten (2025), Second-team All-American (2025), Honorable mention All-Big Ten (2024), Freshman All-American (2023), Big Ten Freshman of the Year (2023)An impact player since his high school days, Thieneman was a four-year varsity starter at Westfield, ID, and eventually rated a three-star recruit. He received multiple offers from across the FBS landscape, but family ties prevailed and he joined Purdue in 2023.

He immediately earned a starting role as a true freshman and over the next two seasons played 24 games for the Boilermakers. In those games, he registered 210 tackles as well as six interceptions and received multiple individual accolades even as his team went a combined 5-19.That lack of success led to Purdue firing head coach Ryan Walters, which in turn prompted Thieneman to enter the transfer portal after his sophomore campaign. A four-star prospect, he was a hot commodity before opting to join Oregon.

He ended up spending only one season with the Ducks before declaring for the draft, but did manage to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors after picking up 96 tackles and a pair of interceptions.Draft profileProjected round: 1 | Consensus big board: No. 18 | Patriots meeting: N/AStrengths: Thieneman is a fantastic athlete whose straight line speed (97th-percentile 40-yard dash) is accompanied by natural fluidity. He can be trusted as a single-high safety due to his tremendous range and fast processor as well as his instincts; he reacts in an instant to attack the ball and has the closing speed in pursuit and coverage to make big plays in the backend.

His skills are not limited to playing space, though, and he also can move to different spots in the lineup. He is a stout tackler who is not afraid of contact and bursts into run lanes.He also took on a leadership role at Oregon, being named a game captain on four occasions in 2025 despite being in his first year in the program. In addition, he was a reliable player at both of his college stops, starting all 39 possible games without any time missed due to injury.11.

S Dillon Thieneman – OregonThieneman has as much proven versatility as anyone in this class & has been making a case for SAF2 down the stretch. Elite tackler, tone-setter in run support, sticky in man coverage, & has 2 years of exp at FS in a single-high scheme pic.twitter.com/JoYTxfZOY5— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) January 4, 2026Weaknesses: Thieneman is not the biggest player, with his lack of height (39th percentile) and weight (27th percentile) limiting him when taking on tight ends in coverage or run support. In general and despite his natural versatility, he can look out of place the closer he gets to the line of scrimmage and gets lost in traffic on occasion.

He also is not immune to taking some questionable angles when coming downhill. Finally, he failed to match his freshman ball production in subsequent seasons, going from six interceptions and a pair of forced fumbles in Year 1 to a combined two INTs over his final 27 games.Patriots previewWhat would be his role? Even though the Patriots have two starter-caliber safeties on their roster and rarely rotated into three-safety looks in 2025, they would find a way to get Thieneman on the field as a third option to complement Kevin Byard and Craig Woodson. While he might be used more in nickel and dime packages early on, he should be able to get reps in base looks as well given his abilities as a scheme- and package-agnostic player in