<a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/oregon-ducks/">Oregon</a> junior safety <a href="https://www.on3.com/rivals/dillon-thieneman-147814/">Dillon Thieneman</a> has opted to forgo his senior season and declared for the 2026 NFL Draft, <a href="https://x.com/PeteThamel/status/2011482607645491508?s=20">according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel</a>. Thieneman is projected to be a Top 50 pick and is among the top safeties available in this year’s NFL Draft class.



Thieneman is coming off a breakout junior season in 2025, his lone with the Ducks after transferring from <a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/purdue-boilermakers/">Purdue</a> last offseason. He earned first-team All-American status in 2025 and first-team All-Big Ten honors after racking up 86 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, seven passes defended, and two interceptions in 13 games at Oregon. Thieneman previously led all Big Ten defensive backs with 104 tackles, including 70 solo, in 2024, his second season with the Boilermakers.



Thieneman quickly carved out a starting position in Purdue’s secondary as a true freshman in 2023, setting team records for most interceptions (six) and solo tackles (74) for a freshman, and earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honor that season. 



The 6-foot, 205-pound Thieneman signed with the Boilermakers as a three-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle out of Westfield (Ind.) High, where he was ranked ans the No. 13 player out of Indiana, the No. 90 safety in the class, and the No. 956 player overall, <a href="https://www.on3.com/rivals/rankings/industry-player/football/2023/">according to the Rivals Industry Ranking</a>, a weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting media companies.



Longtime ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. has ranked Thieneman as his No. 3 safety, behind only <a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/ohio-state-buckeyes/">Ohio State</a>‘s <a href="https://www.on3.com/rivals/caleb-downs-16957/">Caleb Downs</a>, a potential Top 10 pick, and <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/pittsburgh-panthers/">Pitt</a>‘s <a href="https://www.on3.com/rivals/kyle-louis-76741/">Kyle Louis</a>. Thieneman is widely viewed as a likely Day 2 selection, meaning he could be taken anywhere between the second and third rounds.



Thieneman’s isn’t the only draft decision Oregon is anticipating.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mel-kiper-reveals-where-dante-moore-s-nfl-draft-stock-stands-after-cfp">Mel Kiper reveals where Dante Moore’s NFL Draft stock stands after CFP</h2>



The <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/oregon-ducks/">Oregon Ducks</a> are waiting on <a href="https://www.on3.com/rivals/dante-moore-29804/">Dante Moore</a> to make a major decision. Does he go to the NFL or does he stay in college for another season?



ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. appeared on <a href="https://x.com/GetUpESPN">Get Up</a> on Wednesday morning. There, he dove deep into that decision from Moore, explaining that there is a lot of upside but a lack of consistency in big moments.



“I kept it at 1 and 1A [with <a href="https://www.on3.com/rivals/fernando-mendoza-43783/">Fernando Mendoza</a>] up until that final game,” Kiper said Wednesady. “I changed it. After that <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/penn-state-nittany-lions/">Penn State</a> game in late September, the White Out game, he was phenomenal in that game. I had him as the No. 1 quarterback. Then, he had some struggles but late in games, he still came through with clutch performances. They played in bad weather. He played without pieces around him. O-line, wide receivers. Even in this game against <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/indiana-hoosiers/">Indiana</a>, you think about a team that was together. Indiana was a together focused team. Oregon dealt with distractions. They had guys in the portal, they had guys banged up. It was weather and injuries all year for Dante.”



— On3’s Dan Morrison contributed to this report.

Oregon defensive back Dillon Thieneman speaks with reporters during Oregon football’s Media Day on July 28, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. Photo by: © Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman declared for 2026 NFL Draft

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