Over the last month, many outlets, including myself, have pushed the idea that Carolina could add another first round receiver/weapon on Thursday. I still believe that this could be the case, but what about the other side of the ball?

Carolina’s defense definitely improved from 2024, where they fielded the worst group ever in terms of points allowed. However, the defense still isn’t a unit that can carry the team in crunch time - the last two minutes of the playoff game against L.A. is a perfect example.

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Dan Morgan and his staff’s productive free agency has helped in this regard. The additions of Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd have helped improve the EDGE and LB units dramatically.

The units that need the most help now are the interior defensive line and the secondary, particularly safety. Still, this draft doesn’t have a high-end iDL player that would be worth Carolina’s pick at No. 19.

That leaves us with with the safety position, where three names have been thrown around as potential first round prospects.

Ohio State’s Caleb Downs is my personal top player in this class, and will likely not be available when Carolina makes their selection. Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is versatile, but his skillset overlaps with that of highly-compensated Tre’Von Moehrig.

Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman is the remainder of the three, and might just be the perfect fit for the Panthers. Let’s take a look at the dynamic Duck safety.

Profile

Thieneman started his football journey in Westfield, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis. After a solid high school career, Thieneman would earn his 3rd star, and commit to local Purdue, roughly an hour from his high school.

The safety phenom broke onto the scene as a freshman, gaining over 100 tackles and 6 interceptions for the Boilermakers. After another 100+ tackle season, Thieneman would eventually enter the transfer portal, where he was ranked as a Top 15 prospect.

Oregon would eventually win Thieneman over, and he would take his versatility and impact to Eugene for 2025. While his tackle numbers decreased, Thieneman took on a larger role for the Ducks, leading a revamped defense to the college football playoff semifinal where they would eventually fall to the national champion Hoosiers.

*Thieneman played for the Purdue Boilermakers in 2023 and 2024

Pros

To start, Thieneman is incredibly athletic. At the Combine, Thieneman put up a 4.35 40 yard dash, a 41” vertical, and a 10’5” broad jump - high end numbers. These numbers aren’t just flashy, they show up on film as well.

Thieneman’s speed and athleticism, paired with good vision into the backfield, allow him to make plays like this. Thieneman’s versatility and ability to line up across the defense in multiple alignments help in this regard as well.

Speed, vision, and good movement ability all combine to create range, one of the most important traits for a safety to possess. Thieneman’s range is my favorite part of his profile, he can start in the deep third and drop in to tackle the ball carrier or come down in coverage.

Range and being able to cover big chunks of the field aren’t the only uses for Thieneman, he can come down and play close to the line of scrimmage as well.

Playing in coverage or closer to the line of scrimmage sets Thieneman up to make game-changing plays like this - the interception in 2OT to topple Penn State. While I’d like to see more reps of Thieneman in single coverage, he has the ability to cover when necessary.

The final trait that I love about Thieneman is that he’s what I call a ‘final frame’ player. When watching the TV copy or coaches film for Oregon games, you’ll always find Thieneman in the final frame of the play, either making the tackle or running to support his teammates. This is pivotal for linebackers and safeties, and Thieneman embodies it to a tee.

Cons

Despite his speed and explosive ability to cover, Thieneman isn’t super strong or great at getting off of blocks in the run game. For someone willing to come down and hit in run support, Thieneman will have to improve his ability to shed secondary/tertiary blockers on the way to the ball.

As mentioned above, Thieneman also doesn’t have a ton of single coverage reps. For a position that requires so much versatility and different roles, Thieneman increasing his ability to cover, particularly in man, will be necessary if he wants to be a top end starter around the league.

Team Fit

As far as fit goes, Thieneman may be the single best (reasonable, Styles and Downs aren’t falling) defensive prospect for Carolina. A rangy safety that can allow Moehrig to rotate down into the box more often would be the icing on top of the cake of defensive improvements this offseason.

A backend of Moehrig-Thieneman-Horn-Jackson would be one of the best that Carolina has seen in quite some time. Pair this with the defensive additions made in free agency and the Panthers middling defense could be one of the best in the league.

The question remains, however, how valuable is the safety position in today’s NFL? The safety position is the furthest away from the ball at the snap, so how much impact can a safety truly bring? There’s a reason that safety prospects, however talented, tend to slide in the NFL Draft.

Look at Kyle Hamilton, my Number 1 prospect in 2022, who slid all the way to Pick 14 in his class.

I don’t think Baltimore regrets this pick whatsoever, and Hamilton has quickly become the best safety in the NFL, completely transforming the Ravens’ defense. And still, someone this talented made it into the teens (in a draft with no Top 10 quarterback picks).

Perhaps the key difference in 2026 is the general lack of blue chip or consensus first round talents. Kyle Hamilton had to contend with Aidan Hutchinson - Caleb Downs doesn’t really have anyone like that to deal with outside of Fernando Mendoza.

I think Carolina will take a long look at Thieneman as a potential finishing-piece for the defense. It’s hard to say if he will be the selection, given Dan Morgan’s affinity for adding premium position players early in the draft. However, the fit is undeniably good, and Thieneman would be a welcome addition to a Panthers team looking to build on last year’s playoff berth.

The NFL Draft is this week! Carolina hasn’t brought in a ton of defensive prospects (that we know of), but I’m sure they’ve done their due diligence on this year’s safeties class. If finishing the defensive overhaul is a priority, we could see Thieneman in the Process Blue this season.

For more Panthers draft coverage, check out SportCLT’s draft guide. Included are a Draft Night Bingo Board generator, our staff’s preferred players for Carolina at pick 19, a Player Card gacha game, and more.

SportCLT will also be having a live NFL Draft show during Round 1. Tune in around 7:40pm EST on April 23rd to hear analysis about the first round of the NFL Draft from members of SportCLT and quite a few guests.

Panthers Draft Profile: Dillon Thieneman