Monday, July 7, 2025

Real Reason The Bears Drafted Ruben Hyppolite Was Revealed

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Ruben Hyppolite was a surprise. That much was obvious from the reaction of both fans and media when the Chicago Bears selected the Maryland linebacker in the 4th round. GM Ryan Poles even joked whether the media trucks for ESPN and NFL Network would have game footage of him to play during the post-pick breakdown. The fan reaction was predictable. Some experts saw him as an undrafted free agent. Hearing that and knowing the Bears just used a valuable pick to land Hyppolite resulted in a predictable outcry.

He was a terrible reach.

That led to the inevitable question. Why? Why did the Bears feel compelled to take the linebacker so early? The easy answer was his pro day. Hyppolite was clocked in at 4.39 seconds in the 40-yard dash, which is blistering at 240 lbs. There are very few linebackers with that type of speed. However, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic doesn’t believe that was the primary selling point. It helped, to be sure. The truth, though, is Hyppolite almost certainly secured his spot in Chicago with his visit to Halas Hall.

Ruben Hyppolite is further proof of the draft process.

Being a great athlete is a key part of it. So is having good game tape. Still, the truth is that these things are won and lost in the interviews. If you tank a meeting with a team for whatever reason, they won’t feel comfortable drafting you. Sure, they want talented players, but more than that, they want players they can trust. Mitch Trubisky is a perfect example. Nobody considered him more talented than Patrick Mahomes. The key difference was that he nailed his interview with the Bears. GM Ryan Pace became smitten. The rest is history. It also became true for Ruben Hyppolite. He said the right things to the right people, so they moved him up their board.

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11 COMMENTS

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Dr. Steven Sallie
Dr. Steven Sallie
Jul 6, 2025 2:36 pm

I wonder what it takes to impress GM Poles during a football interview: fast running, slow talking, getting to the interview early, or eating European continental style as I do?

Veece
Jul 6, 2025 11:15 am

I remember Buddy Ryan calling HoF LB Singletary a wasted draft pick because he wasn’t 6’4” 250. Hyppolite is 5’11 239 like Iron Mike but .2 faster. On tape, he exhibits good instincts. And evidently, in the interview (where they test player’s football IQ), he was impressive. Ben said he wants smart players. Hyppolite fit his and the DC’s standard. And he was chosen because we needed a LB with better speed and acceleration.

al bundy
al bundy
Jul 6, 2025 9:48 am

@Dr Melhus, the situation you describe with Velus is the EXACT same situation we have here. Poles is either too stupid or too lazy to determine the best football players to select, so he drafts based on physical attributes. Let’s just hope the blind squirrel found an acorn and Hyppolite lives up to the current hype.

ElwoodNotJake
ElwoodNotJake
Jul 6, 2025 5:08 am

Lets put a Season in the Books before we anoint him, PLEASE!

Last edited 1 day ago by ElwoodNotJake
Dr. Melhus
Jul 5, 2025 11:10 pm

@al bundy: No, it’s documented. The process that led to the Bears drafting Velus Jones Jr. was that Poles sat down with then QB Justin Fields and watched draft eligible WRs on film. Fields saw Velus, and said, “that’s someone I could work with.” Poles, then an actual rookie GM, tried to make his QB happy, and took Velus. In hindsight, a bad call, clearly.

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