Sonny Styles.
Arvell Reese.
Mansoor Delane.
The Dallas Cowboys have been linked to several elite defensive prospects in mock drafts over the last several weeks, but there’s one player the team hadn’t been linked to until ESPN’s Jorden Reid published his seven-round mock draft on Wednesday.
It’s no secret the Cowboys will be targeting defense with most, if not all of their 2026 draft picks.
Statistically, Dallas had the third-worst defense in the NFL last season. The team struggled in the secondary, along the defensive line, and with its linebacker corps. Some believe the Cowboys will try to fix the secondary first, and Reid thinks with the 12th overall pick they’ll target Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman — a player most draft experts have going closer to the 20s.
“The Cowboys need a ton of help on defense after giving up the most points in the NFL last season, and Thieneman is a safety who would be capable of cleaning up a lot of Dallas’ issues on the back end,” Reid said.
“He’s capable of playing on the roof of the defense at free safety while also being able to run the alley and be reliable in run support. Thieneman has continued to rise throughout each stage of the pre-draft process, so don’t be surprised if he comes off the board this early.”
Thieneman is arguably the second-best safety in the 2026 draft class behind Ohio State’s Caleb Downs, who the Cowboys have also been linked to.
The consensus is Dallas wants either Delane or Styles, so taking Thieneman at 12 would come as a shock to many people.
A two-time All-American, Thieneman totaled 302 tackles, 13 passes defended, 10 tackles for loss, eight interceptions, and two forced fumbles in three seasons (two with Purdue, one with Oregon).
Thieneman would likely compete for a starting job on Day 1 after losing top safety Donovan Wilson to free agency, though he’d had some strong competition from Malik Hooker and Markquese Bell, who both played significant roles for the Cowboys last season.
