Ruben
Hyppolite.
Ruben
Hyppolite.
Maryland· 5'12"· 236 lb· 4.42s 40
"A three-down player with the athleticism and instincts to cover running backs and tight ends, Hyppolite projects as a valuable piece for any NFL defense that values versatility."Pre-draft read
Hyppolite runs. His 4.42 pro-day forty is the defining trait, and it shows in chase from the backside, in carrying vertical routes up the seam against tight ends, and in closing distance on screens and swing passes before they can be blocked. He is a clean athlete in space with the fluidity to open his hips and turn without gearing down.
The processing lags the speed. He reads late, takes false steps on run action and gets displaced when he arrives at a block instead of beating it, which is how a 236-pound linebacker ends up washed out of gaps he had the range to fill. His production came in volume, not at the line: 231 career stops, thirteen tackles for loss in five years.
Sub-package-heavy defense that uses a second linebacker primarily in coverage and pursuit rather than in stacked run fits.
Dime coverage linebacker and core special-teamer while the run-game processing develops.
A downhill, two-gap front that asks him to take on guards and hold the point of attack every snap.
Protect him from blocks and let him run — his value is chase speed and coverage, not stacking linemen.
NFL DRAFT HIGHLIGHTS: LB Ruben Hyppolite II | Maryland Football
2024 NFL Draft Highlights: LB Ruben Hyppolite II | Maryland Football
NFL Draft Film Ep 545: Ruben Hyppolite II / LB / Maryland / 2022 / Full Highlights
Hyppolite played five seasons at Maryland and 50 games, finishing with 231 tackles, thirteen tackles for loss, three sacks, six pass breakups and an interception. He was a full-time starter in 2023 and 2024, posting 66 tackles in each year and setting a career high with 6.5 tackles for loss as a senior.
The pro day is what got him drafted. At 5-11 and 236 pounds he ran 4.42 with a 1.53 ten-yard split, added a 6.96 three-cone and a 4.34 short shuttle, and put up 18 bench reps. That is a genuinely rare speed-and-agility combination for the weight, and it is the entire basis of the projection.
The tape does not match the numbers yet. Five years of college football produced steady tackle volume and very little disruption, and the between-the-tackles reps show a linebacker who diagnoses a beat behind the play and absorbs contact rather than delivering it. He is a coverage and pursuit linebacker for now — a dime backer who can run with backs and tight ends, and a core special-teamer from week one. The starting projection depends entirely on whether the processing catches up to the speed.
- 01
Elite Speed
Registered a 4.42 forty-yard dash at 236 pounds with a 1.53 ten-yard split.
- 02
Man Coverage Skills
Able to carry vertical routes and run with backs in man coverage situations.
- 03
Agility and Change of Direction
Exhibits fluid hips and 6.96 three-cone agility to change direction seamlessly.
- 04
Perimeter Play
Consistently closes on perimeter screens before blockers are able to engage.
- 05
Extensive Experience
Played 50 games over five years in the program, including two seasons as a full-time starter.
- 01
Run Diagnosis
Diagnoses plays late and takes false steps when reacting to run action.
- 02
Block Engagement
Gets displaced at the point of contact instead of effectively stacking and shedding blocks.
- 03
Limited Disruption
Accumulated only thirteen tackles for loss over five seasons, showing volume but not disruption.
- 04
No Pass-Rush Plan
Offers limited value as a blitzer with no developed pass-rush plan from the second level.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.42sp50
- Vertical
- 33inp50
- Broad jump
- 118inp50
- Three-cone
- 6.96sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.34sp50
- Bench
- 18repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Maryland | 3 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | Maryland | 13 | 62 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2022 | Maryland | 9 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | Maryland | 13 | 66 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | Maryland | 12 | 66 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Career | — | 50 | 231 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Honors
- Honorable mention All-Big Ten (Maryland, 2024)
Special-teams core player who takes dime coverage snaps and stays on the roster for a decade.
Undersized athletic backer who processes his way into a full-time starting role by year two.
Fast, physical fourth-phase linebacker who never earns meaningful defensive snaps.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Chicago used him sparingly. Hyppolite played seven games with one start and took just 31 defensive snaps all season, with three of those appearances producing zero defensive reps — he was a special-teams contributor and a healthy scratch as often as he was a rotational linebacker. A shoulder injury suffered in Week 12 against Pittsburgh ended his season.
This is the low end of the range, and it is not a surprising one. The trait that made him draftable is speed, and speed alone does not earn defensive snaps at linebacker in the NFL; the processing questions that showed on Maryland tape are exactly the ones a rookie has to answer before a coordinator trusts him with a run fit. The path forward is unchanged: dominate the fourth phase, take the dime coverage reps when they come, and let the diagnosis catch up in year two.