All the way up until the morning of the 2026 NFL Draft, Dallas Cowboys fans had gotten fairly used to seeing a handful of logical first-round targets for this team.
It goes without saying that if the Cowboys ended up with one of Sonny Styles, Caleb Downs, Mansoor Delane or a top edge rusher at the no. 12 pick, fans wouldn't necessarily be surprised and the majority would be thrilled.
Yet, one insider threw Cowboys fans a curveball the morning of the draft. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer published his one and only mock draft on Thursday, and he went a different route for Dallas at no. 12 overall:
Safety Dillon Thieneman out of Oregon.
Drafting Dillon Thieneman would be a curveball no Dallas Cowboys fan saw coming
That's quite the surprise and, as Breer called it in his column, a curveball. But, he does make some sense of it.
"Yes, this is early, maybe too early for Thieneman ... landing Thieneman here gives them a guy who can play the Justin Simmons role in a Vic Fangio–influenced scheme that new DC Christian Parker will bring," Breer wrote.
"... the Cowboys know just what they’re getting in reaching a little for the Ducks’ star, knowing they probably won’t get him at 20. And, yes, the Cowboys have explored moving up for Styles. But they’ve also looked at moving down, which could set this pick up if they can stay in front of the Vikings and Panthers."
This is one that would be hard to swallow, and it's also a similar explanation of why some teams may not want to invest a top-8 pick on Downs. Teams just don't invest that highly into the safety position.
However, we have seen the type of impact a Nick Emmawori had on the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks' defense. So, maybe the tide is turning just a little bit.
Now, this pick might make some sense on paper, when you plug him into the scheme. But, at what cost? Which players were still on the board when Thieneman was selected?
Just for clarity:
DE Akheem Mesidor
DE Keldric Faulk
DT Caleb Banks
DE Zion Young
These are arguably the best four defensive players that were on the board in Breer's mock. All of Styles, Downs and Delane were gone by then, along with Rueben Bain.
For further context, both wide receivers Makai Lemon and Omar Cooper Jr. were on the board as well.
Would Thieneman be the best player on Dallas' board, all things considered?
To be frank, he might be, if we're talking solely defense. That depends on how the Cowboys have him graded up against Faulk or Mesidor. But, the best player overall? That very well could be Lemon, but and remember, the Cowboys brass didn't rule out taking a wide receiver in the first round.
Still, Thieneman is a fine player who is very well-rounded. He'd make an instant impact and this, by no means, would be a "bad" pick. Breer makes a ton of sense here with his analysis, and Cowboys fans shouldn't be disappointed if this surprise happened to unfold on Thursday night.