The Chicago Bears have selected Maryland linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II with the 132nd overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
The word that comes to mind with Hyppolite is speed. He ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at his pro day. Draft analyst Field Yates described Hyppolite on ESPN’s draft day coverage: “It looks like he has rocket launchers attached to his feet.”
Hyppolite totaled 236 tackles, including 13 tackles for loss, three sacks, one interception, six pass breakups and one forced fumble in 50 games with 46 starts for the Terrapins. Many draft analysts considered him to be a seventh-round pick or projected undrafted free agent, but the Bears make him a fourth-round pick.
Bears assistant director of college scouting Francis St. Paul was short and sweet with a description of Hyppolite: “Speed. Toughness. Instincts. Leadership.”
Here’s what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had to say about Hyppolite: “Hyppolite’s career production is fairly pedestrian relative to the number of starts he’s made, but he has the kind of speed that is rarely dismissed out of hand by NFL evaluators. The more one watches, the more one realizes he plays with natural instincts to sniff out and pursue the play. It appears his lack of take-on technique and tackle consistency will be his biggest hindrances at the next level. A move to Will linebacker could free him from some of the physical rigors inside and allow him to highlight his pursuit speed, but he needs to prove he can make more plays in coverage.”
Hyppolite is a fast, athletic linebacker who will serve as key depth behind T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds.
Follow along with our live Bears picks tracker
Bears‘ 2025 draft picks
- Round 1: No. 10 (TE Colston Loveland)
- Round 2: Nos. 39 (WR Luther Burden III), 56 (OT Ozzy Trapilo, from BUF), 62 (DT Shemar Turner, from BUF)
- Round 3: None
- Round 4: No. 132 (from BUF)
- Round 5: No. 148, 169 (from BUF)
- Round 6: None
- Round 7: No. 233 (from CIN)
Grades for every Bears pick in the 2025 NFL draft
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