Ruben Hyppolite II is Ryan Poles Latest Colossal Mid-Round Draft Bust

Well, that one unfortunately felt inevitable. The Chicago Bears cut ties (via an injury designation) with second-year linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II, whom the team selected in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, while trimming down their roster yesterday.

Hyppolite made up some ground with a solid preseason performance in the season opener against Cleveland, but failed to build on it after getting hurt in the team's second matchup against Cincinnati. The writing has been on the wall with Hyppolite after he played only 31 defensive snaps last season and became a regular healthy scratch down the home stretch.

Cutting bait with mid-round picks is becoming quite the theme for the Bears. The 24-year-old is the latest in a growing line of mid-round misfires from general manager Ryan Poles and Co.

Poles is surviving through the (first) DJ Moore trade and first-round success

Zacch Pickens celebrating a sack — Aug 12, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears defensive tackle Zacch Pickens (96) sacks Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

“Are they going to have a highlight?” Poles joked after selecting Hyppolite with the 132nd pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. “Are they going to be ready for this one? I love when they’re not ready for it.”

To be honest, Ryan, we really wish you loved it less. Since Poles became the Bears' general manager in 2022, his third- and fourth-round picks are listed as follows:

2022 - Velus Jones Jr., 3rd round, 71st pick

2023 - Zacch Pickens, 3rd round, 64th pick

2023 - Roschon Johnson, 4th round, 115th pick

2023 - Tyler Scott, 4th round, 133rd pick

2024 - Kiran Amegadjie, 3rd round, 75th pick

2024 - Tory Taylor, 4th round, 122nd pick

2025 - Ruben Hyppolite II, 4th round, 124th pick

Before I eviscerate him, I need to say that I've been a staunch Ryan Poles defender over the past few years. His decision to pull the trigger on the (first) DJ Moore trade as early as he did helped them set the foundation for the situation they find themselves in today. If that trade doesn't happen, the Bears don't have Caleb Williams or Ben Johnson.

Not every GM would've made the move at the time, either. Most would've stayed patient to see if a team picking before 9 wanted to move up instead. It was a coup, and he deserves a significant amount of credit for it. The pitchforks aren't out, but they're being sharpened (in the event that this year's mid-round picks get booted before 2028).

With that being said, there is no excuse for the sheer rate of third- and fourth-round misses over the past few years. Their depth would be abysmal if they didn't assemble a coaching staff (another thing he deserves credit for) that has proven capable of getting the most out of under-the-radar players.

It's also worth noting that he's had some better success in the fifth round (Braxton Jones and Austin Booker), but he also landed on Zah Frazier there, who didn't even make it past training camp last season. When your best mid-round selection after four years on the job is a punter, you're clearly doing something wrong there.

Tory Taylor on the sidelines — Aug 22, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Chicago Bears punter Tory Taylor (19) stretches on the sidelines during the second half in the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Now, you could argue that Poles isn't the only one with fingerprints on their draft busts. That goes without saying. A GM who doesn't listen to his coaching staff won't be a GM for long.

Defensive backs coach Al Harris identified Zah Frazier last year. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen also saw something he could work with in Hyppolite. It's safe to assume he consulted with Matt Eberflus before pulling the trigger on Pickens in 2023.

Still, as the general manager, you live by the sword, and you die by it. Ultimately, he's the final decision-maker and the one who was staking his reputation on those selections.

The silver lining

Ryan Poles at the NFL Scouting Combine — Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Not making good use of your third- and fourth-round picks is certainly not ideal. However, the issue compounds when teams are too scared of the public backlash that comes with cutting bait with their mid-round picks shortly after they're drafted. That only takes up a roster spot for someone more deserving.

To Poles' credit, he hasn't shown signs of committing that sin through his first four years on the job. Velus Jones Jr. only made it two years into his rookie deal. So did Scott, Pickens, and Amegadjie. Hyppolite is the only one who lasted only one year (although it still remains to be seen whether they plan to bring him back to the practice squad).

The Bears did a great job navigating the waters with each of the players mentioned above, too. Aside from Pickens, they all saw a massive uptick in playing time in their final preseason contests. That was them saying it was sink-or-swim time, and each of them failed to tread water.

All things considered, yes, it would obviously be ideal if they could hit a mid-round pick. However, it would be much worse if they felt the need to keep Amegadjie and Hyppolite over two players who proved their worth, Jamree Kromah and Theo Benedet.

Hopefully Sam Roush, Zavion Thomas, and Malik Muhammad II can build off their early promise and buck the disappointing trend. Poles obviously isn't going anywhere anytime soon, but expectations levels change when a team becomes good.

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