Grading the Bears Pick: LB Ruben Hyppolite

Tommy Gilligan - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 5 hours ago

When the Bears entered Day three of the NFL draft, they had a few needs remaining to be filled. One of those needs was to add some running back depth to a much smaller room than last season, while the other was to add more defensive pressure by adding an Edge rusher. Although the Bears didn't add the Edge rusher fans were hoping they would add, they did add an intriguing linebacker in round four who could serve as a potential pass rushing specialist down the road.

With the 132nd pick of the NFL draft, the Chicago Bears select Ruben Hyppolite, linebacker from the University of Maryland. The 6-1, 225-pound linebacker is seen as an undersized linebacker when you look at the rest of his class, but is also seen as a player who can put on the weight to become an edge-type player.

Going back to his five-year tenure with Maryland, as he was a freshman during the COVID season, Hyppolite had his moments as a player, but also left plenty to be desired. In other words, he never reached the talent level that many thought he had, which could be a concern for the Bears this season.

Over his five, but realistically four seasons, Hyppolite came away with 236 tackles, 138 of which were solo tackles. That included a career-best 66 tackles in the past two seasons, as Hyppolite had a knack for getting to the ball carrier and making the play. Along with those tackles came three career sacks, but only one has come since his freshman season.

That is where the concern lies with this pick, as he can't get after the quarterback, which you would like to see from a linebacker. Hyppolite also added one forced fumble, six pass breakups, and his first career interception this past season as he started to show a bit more of his skillset in 2024.

Not only does he lack the size of many of the linebackers in this year's class, but his underwhelming production pushed him down to a day three prospect as he was seen as a fifth-round option. Taking him in the fourth round could be considered a reach, but with the Bears needing some linebacker depth across the board, adding him when they did gives them the depth they needed.

Looking back at his production from college and comparing it to the number of starts he made, it's abundantly clear that his production was pedestrian at best. However, with him possessing some of the best overall speed among all rookie linebackers, it's hard for scouts to ignore the speed he brings to the table.

Even if that production was considered pedestrian in college, his speed alone could make him a threat in the NFL, as he has the sideline-to-sideline speed necessary to chase down the ball carriers. The more one watches, the more one realizes he plays with natural instincts to sniff out and pursue the play. If that is the case, why were his numbers as low as they were?

The main reason for that was his lack of take-on technique and tackle consistency, as he didn't wrap up the way you would like him to. That led to ball carriers breaking free on occasions, and should that continue to happen, it will be his undoing at the pro level. However, given some of his physical attributes, Hyypolite can play either the Will linebacker position or on the inside, as the Bears will have an opportunity to move him around.

Grading the Pick C:

For the most part, the 2025 Chicago Bears draft class is solid, but some picks are a bit underwhelming. This is one of those picks, as the Bears had other needs to address and failed to address them throughout the draft.

Hyppolite is one of those players who is considered a Raw prospect and will have to work twice as hard to earn playing time. However, if his physical attributes are as good as they appear, not only will Hyppolite force his way into the rotation, but it could also go down as one of the steals in the middle rounds.