The Chicago Bears are enjoying a dream season, and a big part of the move from worst to first has been the contributions from their draft class. While it didn’t happen immediately, tight end Colston Loveland, offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo, and running back Kyle Monangai have since emerged to help push the Bears into the top spot in the NFC. While most of the rookies have begun to show their worth, the same can’t be said for fourth-round pick Ruben Hyppolite II.
The fourth-round pick out of Maryland hasn’t been able to contribute this season as he has just six total tackles in seven games. While there are other players the Bears could have had at that draft spot, the other rookies on the Bears roster have made Hyppolite stand out in the wrong way, and the concerns could reach a boiling point in the final stretch of the year.
Bears’ Rookie Class Continues to Lap Ruben Hyppolite
Hyppolite is an outlier in part due to what the rookies in front of him have done. Loveland came in with big expectations as the 10th overall pick in the draft. While he had a slow start, he broke out with six catches for 118 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a Nov. 2 win over the Cincinnati Bengals and has 14 catches for 172 yards and a touchdown over the last four games.
Trapilo has also made giant strides in recent weeks. After losing out on the starting left tackle job to Braxton Jones and Theo Benedet earlier in the year, Trapilo made his first start at left tackle during a Nov. 23 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and started again on Friday against the Philadelphia Eagles. In those two starts, Trapilo has allowed five pressures on 83 pass-blocking snaps (6.0%) and appears to be the solution on the blindside for Chicago beyond this season.
Burden was also taken in the second round and has begun to make more consistent contributions. While he flashed with a three-catch, 101-yard game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 21, he’s been more consistent as of late, logging 13 catches for 157 yards and pushing for more playing time over Olamide Zaccheaus.
Having the three draft picks in front of Hyppolite contribute should be expected. But his struggles become worse when considering Monangai was a seventh-round pick. After getting off to a slow start, Monangai has taken off in his past seven games, running for 510 yards, five touchdowns, and averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
That would seemingly make Hyppolite the outlier in a solid draft class, but injuries to the rest of the rookie class turn his struggles up another notch. Shemar Turner, Zah Frazier, and Luke Newman are all currently on injured reserve, and while Turner and Frazier have had little to no contributions, Newman was becoming a solid backup on the offensive line before suffering a foot injury.
This leaves Hyppolite as a player who is not only struggling but healthy enough to do something about it. He received his first career start against the Steelers in Week 12 but wasn’t able to finish the game due to a knee injury that knocked him out of the lineup in the Week 13 win over the Eagles.
It’s a disappointing development for a player who showed promise during the preseason. Even with the opportunity in front of him, Hyppolite has failed to seize it. It gives the Bears reasons to be concerned moving forward and the need to possibly look for an upgrade as soon as next offseason.