Windy City Gridiron
Forget long term, who will make the biggest contribution this season?
When teams select players in the NFL Draft, they are looking for who can be a key player for their team for years to come, that certainly isn’t some bold take. But for Chicago Bears fans, they are hoping to win games this season. Can the Bears make the playoffs? Fans certainly think so, as do the people inside Halas Hall.
So if the Bears want to win games this year, which rookies joining the team should be able to make the biggest impact this season? We rank them.
I think Newman might spend this season on the practice squad. That’s a risky maneuver because players can be signed to other teams, but I think Newman, who might be working towards becoming a center, might need some more time to acclimate to the NFL level. Newman only spent one year at Michigan State and was previously at Holy Cross. Newman has some issues with some of his technique and doesn’t have a lot of strength. To me, that feels like a rookie who needs a redshirt year to get bigger and stronger and get some work with Dan Roushar and see where he’s at in 2026.
Frazier is a late bloomer. He was a community college player before moving to Texas-San Antonio, where he only started one season. He was 24 when he started as well. Frazier turns 25 this season and hasn’t faced major competition yet. He’s tall and fast and has some traits to develop into a good defensive back. He had a great season in his final year in college, but was he a “man against boys,” which was the knock on Velus Jones when he broke out late in college. Frazier has traits and fits Dennis Allen’s scheme well. I think Frazier is on the 53 this year but will be contributing on special teams, and not so much in the secondary (also due to the Bears' strength at that position).
I’ll be honest, when we get into rounds 6 and 7, there are plenty of prospects that I’ve never heard of. I don’t do the deep dives that many of the draft experts do. But there aren’t too many players I’ve never heard of that go in the top four rounds, and this was a name that flew right over my head. Speaking with people, while many thing Hyppolite was drafted too high, some thought he should be a UDFA, there seems to be a consensus that due to his blazing speed, he was shooting up some draft boards. Was he shooting this high? Who knows, but I do feel like Hyppolite can immediately help on special teams. The Bears don’t have a set 3rd linebacker at this point, so if he performs well, he will have a chance to get some snaps on defense.
