1 week Ago By Bears Wire
The Chicago Bears finally got defensive coordinator Dennis Allen a new toy with the selection of Maryland linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II with the 132nd overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. This selection was acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Bills, where the Bears moved back from 109th overall to land pick 132, along with a fifth rounder.The first thing that stands out about Hyppolite is his elite speed.
He ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at his pro day. But Chicago sees more than just speed.
Bears assistant director of college scouting Francis St. Paul was short and sweet with a description of Hyppolite: "Speed. Toughness.
Instincts. Leadership."Many draft analysts had Hyppolite pegged as a late-round draft pick or projected undrafted free agent, but the Bears made him a fourth-round pick.
As a result, they dealt out some brutal grades.USA Today's Aryton Ostly blasted the selection with an "F" grade calling it a "massive reach" for a player they believed would go undrafted.Chicago could use some depth at linebacker but this is a massive reach for a player most expected to go undrafted.
He's very fast at 5-foot-11 and 236 pounds which bodes well for special teams but if the Bears were looking for a contributor at the position, there were less project-type of players on the board. Hyppolite struggles against the run and needs a lot of work in his hand usage.Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski also was critical of the Bear's selection of Hyppolite, giving it a "D" grade and noting that Chicago is banking on him to exceed expectations.
The Chicago Bears are banking on massive upside with the fourth-round selection of Maryland’s Ruben Hyppolite II. The linebacker prospect has 4.42-second 40-yard-dash speed.
He’s not just a developmental athlete with upside. Hyppolite amassed 132 total tackles and 10 tackles for loss over the last two seasons. He’ll start his career as a core-four special teamer and add significant athleticism to the second line of the Bears defense as a rotational linebacker.
Let's be honest, it's way too early to start officially grading draft picks, be it good or bad, before they've even hit the football field with their respective teams. Ultimately, time will tell whether the Bears made the right decision to take a flier on Hyppolite during the fourth round when other notable prospects were still on the board.Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and InstagramThis article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears draft Ruben Hyppolite: NFL experts blast Chicago's selection.
