This story encapsulates just how much the NFL Combine changes the calculus of the draft process.
NFL Analyst Bucky Brooks had the Seattle Seahawks taking University of Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman with the 32nd pick in the 2026 NFL Draft before the Scouting Combine, but his stock exploded this weekend- making that scenario unlikely.
Brooks mocked Thieneman to the Seahawks last Tuesday. Two days later, he was one of the three safeties the Seahawks met with at the Combine.
The #Seahawks have met with so far at the draft combine:
— HawkMania (@hawkmania4) February 26, 2026
S USC Kamari Ramsey
S Zakee Wheatley
S Dillon Thieneman
CB Devin Moore
CB D'Angelo Ponds
CB Avieon Terrell
CB Keith Abney
CB Brandon Cisse
EDGE Wesley Williams
EDGE Zion Young
EDGE Logan Fano
This shows me that Boye Mafe,…
Hype gained steam in the Seahawks community, and he became an obvious top target among media members- which many thought was perfectly realistic at that point, including insiders like Brooks. But once he tested on Friday, his stock went through the roof. Already a tape darling for his instincts, he tested better than 96.7% of all safeties since 1987:
Dillon Thieneman is a SS prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.67 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 42 out of 1242 SS from 1987 to 2026.
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) February 27, 2026
Pending agilities and bench, splits projected.https://t.co/du153sXWtLpic.twitter.com/clnA4f3YME
Now, Thieneman being available at the 32nd pick looks like a pipe dream. The popular NFL Stock Exchange podcast took him 10th overall to the Cincinnati Bengals today in their post-combine mock draft.
The Seahawks being out of the race for Dillon Thieneman is only part of the story here, though. Now that testing numbers are out, the draft process is much more interesting. The media can make more substantial predictions on who teams will take and where prospects will go. Just like Thieneman’s stock, it’s only up from here for analysis of this year’s draft.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Dillon Thieneman's 2026 NFL Draft stock explodes, unlikely for Seattle