In 2024, the Patriots were caught watching the paint dry a couple of times, leading to the selections of Ja’Lynn Polk in round two and Caedan Wallace in round three. Polk didn’t even make it into a second regular season with the Patriots before he was jettisoned to New Orleans for table scraps, while Wallace is barely hanging on.
The Pats have taken a different approach here in 2026, trading up three spots in round one to grab Caleb Lomu on Thursday night, then moving up eight spots from #63 to #55 to grab Illinois edge rusher Gabe Jacas. Time will tell whether these were the right choices, but the approach should be applauded in a draft that, quite frankly, has some holes.
A four-year starter for the Fighting Illini, Jacas led the team in sacks, tackles for loss, and forced fumbles in each of the last two seasons. There were opportunities for him to leave Champaign and take NIL money elsewhere, but he did what few do these days: he stayed.
“Illinois took a chance on me, and they developed me to the player I am today,” he said. “There was no need for me to go. Illinois made me who I am today.”
Jacas is already familiar with the Pats. His last top-30 visit was to Foxborough, but he also comes from an Illini program led by former Pats assistant Brett Bielema, as well as Joe Kim, who worked for a number of years in New England as a pass-rush coach. Kim introduced Jacas to Matthew Judon's tape (”There are so many similarities,” Jacas told us, noting both are “Speed-to-power guy.”). Not sure if he’ll wear the same red sleeves, but this seemed destined to happen.
“He said, yeah, you’re a Patriot,” Jacas smiled when recalling a conversation he had with Kim. But the 21-year-old also had that feeling on his own when he met with the team, in particular, outside linebacker coach Mike Smith: “Just his philosophy and his mindset on the position, I just loved it. … I knew it was gonna be the right fit for me.”
Unlike Lomu, who needs to add some strength, Jacas looks the part physically. The amount of effort he puts into his play should be teaching tape for all levels. He makes sure you feel him on every play, and there’s no question he had some Big 10 opponents headed straight for the cold tub after lining up against him.
“Just play with a relentless motor, very disruptive, very violent, someone that's very dependable, someone's going to bring the energy and the juice to the team,” Jacas said when asked to describe his style of play. “That’s the player they can expect.”
"Awesome motor. Violent. Heavy hands,” a linebacker coach texted me shortly after the pick was made. “Needs to improve awareness.”
Later, he added, “He’s a little stiff when it comes to changing direction.”
As a pass rusher, it’s Jacas’ power that is troublesome for his foe. “If he gets his hands on the tackle and does so with force, they’re in trouble. Can’t tell you how many times I saw him bus a dude right back into the quarterback,” a scout texted me.
Jacas is a former high school wrestler, and that’s where his understanding of leverage and his hand usage are top-notch. His football instincts aren’t at that same level. He gets walled off a little too much. Yet there's no reason for him not to be better against the run with his physicality and a frame that carries 261 pounds on his nearly 6’4” body. Based on what I’ve been told about his work ethic and leadership, Jacas will put in the time.
“I dreamed of this ever since I was a little kid,” he said. “The fact that I got that call…Everything I worked up to this point has paid off, and it doesn't stop here. I gotta keep going. “