How Ruben Hyppolite May Have Quietly Altered The Bears’ 2026 Draft Approach

The Chicago Bears aimed to add more speed to their linebacker group when they drafted Ruben Hyppolite in the 4th round last year. Despite misgivings from several draft evaluators about his overall value outside of the speed, they felt he’d give them a dimension they lacked. It didn’t go well. Hyppolite didn’t see a ton of action during the season, and when he did, he didn’t have much impact. Then he got hurt, reigniting concerns about his size and whether he can survive at the NFL level.

Throughout the 2026 pre-draft process...