Former Maryland linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II took a predraft “30 visit” to Halas Hall.
He sort of snuck in and out and no one besides the Bears seemed to pay attention as it wasn’t reported much or even noticed. It’s easy to see why.
Hyppolite wasn’t ranked in the Pro Football Focus top 350.
He wasn’t on Mel Kiper’s big board, little board, auxiliary board or hidden board.
Walterfootball.com didn’t list him among the top 15 inside or outside linebackers for the draft.
Drafttek.com ranked him 21st among inside linebackers, 430th overall.
The NFL Mock Draft Data Base put him at a solid 603rd overall with a best ranking of 487 through the draft process.
There were 257 picks this year.
So it’s safe to say Hyppolite was the lottery winner in this year’s NFL draft.
Spotrac.com projects his slot at No. 132 overal in Round 4 as worth a $1.059 million cap hit this year. A standard undrafted player contract is $840,000, so he came out about $219,000 ahead. But consider also, a fourth-round draft pick almost never gets cut but almost no undrafted free agents ever make the roster to realize that $840,000 contract.
Hyppolite was asked by Bears beat writers why he wasn’t invited to the combine, because he ran a phenomenal 4.39 seconds in the 40. It’s a super ridiculous time for a linebacker, even for a receiver, but he ran it at a pro day and not the combine.
He was the first player picked in this draft who didn’t get invited to the combine.
So, there is suspicion attached to the time.
“”I don’t have a sense at all,” Hyppolite said when asked about the combine snub. “The only thing I did was decide what I was going to do, and that was capitalizing on my Pro Day. Make the best out of that opportunity, then to just kill it on the visits and the Zoom calls I had throughout this process. I feel like I did that.”
Maybe the combine just didn’t know who he was.
The Bears seemed to attach a lot of importance to the 40 time, and they should. The 40 often has a reputation as the 39-yard dash at pro days, as schools try to help their guys get noticed.
Bears college scouting director Francis Saint Paul was asked about that 40.
“I was not at the pro day,” he said.
Former gold medal sprinter Ato Boldon helped Hyppolite train for the 40 and it appears he did a good job.
“I had a lot of talks with him about what I wanted to do and how I wanted to perform in that aspect of the pro day,” Hyppolite said. “He helped me reach all those goals along with the nutrition and the weight program.
“Then in the drills too in Florida. Putting a great pro day together. The 40 was the highlight of it, but I felt like it was a culmination of everything I did during the workout that really propelled me throughout this process.”
Saint Paul said Hyppolite had all the Bears excited at Halas Hall, and it wasn’t because security wanted to know who the heck he was.
“We knew there was something there in him when we saw him,” Saint Paul said. “Our (Northeast) area scout Tom Bradway, when he spoke about him, Ryan Poles got excited.
“He wanted to see him firsthand. If you don’t go to the combine, we want to get another touchpoint with that guy.”
That’s a good idea.
Where does a 4.39-second linebacker who is 6-foot, 240 pounds play, exactly?
“They told me I could fit anywhere,” Hyppolite said. “They told my ability to cover and play the run is a great asset that I have. Just looking forward to getting in, getting in with the coaches. I’m behind some great veterans with T.J. Edwards and Tremaine (Edmunds). I have great vets in the rooms I can learn from and soak all the information in.”
Hyppolite, whose name is pronounced like “hippo-light,” was said to be a leader on Maryland’s defense and a player whose personality wins over anyone he meets.
Upon his visit to Halas Hall, he wanted to make an impression and apparently did.
“That I was a smart player,” he said. “That I knew my defense and that I could talk ball at a very highly effective rate. I wanted to get across to them that I have the speed to play this position, I have the ability to play this position.
“Just really talking to them about my scheme, how I could fit into their scheme. Just having a great time all-around. Meeting with all the coaches, office people, all the staff. It was just great meeting them all around. I loved the visit, I’m glad I’m their guy.”
Hyppolite’s does not treat his good fortune lightly.
“I’m speechless a little bit because it’s surreal,” he said. “It still doesn’t feel real to me.”
It’s understandable.
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