Chicago Bears criticized for potential NFL Draft reach

CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards put together a list of each team’s most questionable choice during the NFL Draft, including the Bears selecting linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II in the fourth round.

“Hyppolite is an undersized linebacker,” Edwards writes. “Who blew up after testing well at his pro day but the production did not match the athletic potential. Hyppolite can be an immediate contributor on special teams but it is difficult to pin down where he could help on defense. The fourth round seemed too early for that type of project.”

The risk of Hyppolite becoming a “workout warrior” seems real, especially after the former Maryland standout ran the 40-yard dash in a blazing 4.39 seconds during the Terrapins pro day but capped his collegiate career with just 138 tackles and three sacks across four-plus seasons in College Park.

Production in college doesn’t always translate to the trajectory of an NFL career, and teams typically spend Saturday of the NFL Draft looking for certain traits that they can deploy either on special teams or specific situations throughout the course of games in hopes of developing prospects into more complete players as their careers progress.

That could be some of the thought process Poles and the Bears had in selecting Hyppolite, at a position where the team needed to emerge from the draft with some quality depth in tow.