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Bears first-round draft pick Dillon Thieneman.

Chicago Bears first-round draft pick Dillon Thieneman will be happy to face J.J. McCarthy again if the Minnesota Vikings start him at quarterback in 2026.

The Bears elevated their defense in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft on April 23 when they selected Thieneman — a former Oregon and Purdue star and one of the top safeties in the class — with the No. 25 overall pick after a patient wait for their turn.

Thieneman adds a vital piece to a Chicago defense that lost both of its starting safeties — Pro Bowler Kevin Byard III and Jaquan Brisker — from last season. The Bears signed veteran Coby Bryant to a three-year, $40 million contract in free agency to replace one of them, but Thieneman gives them two versatile starters with long-term potential.

Part of Thieneman’s new gig could also include two annual matchups against McCarthy, who built a strong reputation in the Big Ten before becoming the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. He and Thieneman matched up just once during McCarthy’s final season in 2023, but Chicago’s top rookie is nevertheless ready for another crack at him.

“Not a whole lot [of memories of him], but I can’t wait to face him again,” Thieneman said about McCarthy with a smile during his April 24 introductory press conference.

Many Mock Drafts Projected Dillon Thieneman to Vikings

Thieneman is an immediate-impact addition for the Bears defense, one whom general manager Ryan Poles described as “everything that we’re looking for” after Round 1.

“We talk about taking the air out of the defense or out of the offense,” Poles said April 23. “His ability to close on the football, both in the run and the pass, stood out really, really quick. As we watched it, the comments you could hear: ‘This guy is obsessed with football, plays fast. He’s extremely smart, a great leader and violent in the way that he plays the game. Everything that we’re looking for.”

Before the first round started, though, many NFL draft analysts believed it would be the Vikings calling Thieneman’s name at No. 18 overall in the draft with safety among their most critical roster needs for the 2026 season. Instead, they took Florida defensive tackle Caleb Williams, a pick that some analysts decried as a “significant reach.”

Now, Banks comes with some injury red flags, but he has a high ceiling that could make Vikings fans very happy with the selection as soon as his rookie season. That said, if Thieneman is as dynamic as the Bears hope he can be, it could be a sore spot for years.