Dillon Thieneman is the best free safety I have ever personally scouted. What makes that even more impressive? He only played the position for one year as a 19-year-old and is still projected to go in the top 20 of the NFL Draft.
Over the next two seasons, Thieneman aligned closer to the line of scrimmage, rolling down to make plays in the run game. That versatility is exactly what makes him such a seamless fit in Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s system, specifically alongside Tre’von Moehrig.
Moehrig was one of the Panthers’ major free-agent acquisitions during the 2025 offseason. Signing a three-year, $51 million contract, he was brought in to add toughness and reliability to a defense that struggled to bring ball carriers down in 2024. He delivered, racking up 103 tackles, with 51 coming at or behind the line of scrimmage.
Carolina Panthers could hide Tre'von Moehrig's weaknesses by drafting Dylan Thieneman
He also proved to be a disruptive force as a blitzer. With a 28 percent pressure rate, Moehrig generated 14 pressures on opposing quarterbacks. He added three sacks on just 50 pass-rush snaps. Tellingly, that was tied for third on the entire roster.
All of that production sounds incredible if we were talking about a linebacker. But we’re not. A vital part of playing safety is coverage, and it’s the one area the Panthers haven’t addressed yet.
To put it nicely, Moehrig struggled in coverage during the 2025 season. In fact, it was the worst year of his career as a starter.
He completed 79.2% of his passes for 333 receiving yards conceded, both career highs, while being targeted on 11.6% of his coverage snaps, also a personal worst. Even more concerning, he posted a +4.7% catch rate over expected, meaning receivers were more successful than anticipated when matched up against him.
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck… well, you know the rest. Right now, Moehrig looks like a liability in coverage. And ironically, the solution might be the perfect “duck” for this defense.
At 19 years old, Thieneman recorded six interceptions as a true free safety in the Big Ten. He later transitioned to a more split-safety role, but his game truly took off after transferring to Oregon. The defensive back's ability to cover space both over the top and underneath is a cheat code for coordinators.
Oregon leaned heavily into that skill set, frequently running Tampa 2 and trusting Thieneman to patrol the deep middle, daring offenses to attack between the numbers. His range and instincts erased windows before they opened. That kind of presence on the back end would free Moehrig to play to his strengths without being exposed.
Pairing Moehrig with Thieneman would also unlock a far more aggressive defensive identity.
With Thieneman’s sideline-to-sideline range and Devin Lloyd’s coverage ability at linebacker, Carolina could live in fire zone and robber/rat concepts. Sending Moehrig as a blitzer in those looks would create more one-on-one pass-rush opportunities and speed up the clock for opposing quarterbacks.
With Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson Sr. locking down the outside, and Thieneman and Lloyd controlling the middle of the field, the Panthers' defense could take a major leap, turning pressures into sacks and tight windows into interceptions.
If Thieneman is on the board at No. 19, Carolina has a chance to build a safety duo that doesn’t just complement each other, but one that could anchor one of the NFL’s best defenses for years to come.