The Chicago Bears prioritized one side of the ball in the 2025 draft, as five of their eight picks came on the offensive end. Despite that being the case, the early returns have been enough to suggest that Ryan Poles knocked it out of the park as well with one of his selections to bolster the defense.
With the preseason now in the rearview mirror, fourth-round pick Ruben Hyppolite II out of the University of Maryland has shown why he was such a productive college player during his short stay in the Windy City. Now, that has him in line to be part of the team's linebacker corps that makes up Chicago's starting defense.
Bears LB Ruben Hyppolite Looks Like a Massive Steal After Preseason
Unless you have a reason to follow Maryland Terrapins football, the odds are strong that Bears fans knew very little about Hyppolite when Chicago selected him in the fourth round with the No. 132 overall pick. It did not take long for the productive linebacker to introduce himself to the Windy City, though. In three preseason games, the rookie racked up 16 total tackles and put himself in a position to be the starting strongside linebacker.
That trend of productivity in the preseason carried over from Hyppolite's college days as he recorded 236 total tackles in 50 appearances for the Terrapins during his career in College Park. The Big 10 and the NFL are, obviously, two different levels of competition. Seeing him have as strong a preseason as he did is a good indicator of what he could become as a professional, though.
Adding an immediate starter in a rookie who was picked in the fourth round is a win for any team, let alone one hoping to make the jump the Bears are aiming for during the 2025 campaign. If he can keep up the pace he set during the exhibition campaign, it won't take long for Hyppolite to become a fan-favorite in Chicago.