Since taking over as the Patriots top personnel executive, Eliot Wolf has understandably targeted players on offense in his first two drafts as New England’s personnel chief.

In his first two offseasons on the job, the Patriots were coming off seasons where they ranked 31st (2023) and 30th (2024) in scoring offense. So, it stands to reason that Wolf’s first seven top-100 picks were offensive players, including QB Drake Maye and starting LT Will Campbell, who were selected third and fourth overall, respectively, in consecutive drafts.

However, with the focus on offense, the Patriots hadn’t selected a defensive player with a premium draft choice since star CB Christian Gonzalez, DE Keion White, and LB Marte Mapu were their first three picks in the 2023 draft. If you zoom out even further, the Patriots had only selected three defenders inside the top 50 over their previous five drafts: Gonzalez, White, and Christian Barmore (38th overall in 2021).

All of this is a long-winded way of saying the Patriots hadn’t used high-end draft capital on defense in two full draft cycles prior to selecting Illinois edge rusher Gabe Jacas with the 55th overall pick in the 2026 draft. Jacas also addresses a need on the edge that New England’s top brass was highlighting all offseason, with the Pats trading up eight slots to ensure they landed the second-team All-Big Ten defender, who led the Illini with 11 sacks and 13.5 TFLs in 2025.

During free agency, the Patriots executed a 1-for-1 swap by signing power-rusher Dre’Mont Jones, with former starter K’Lavon Chaisson departing in free agency. Jones is projected to start, possibly next to veteran Harold Landry III, who will need to bounce back from a knee injury that limited him down the stretch last season. Elijah Ponder had a promising first season as an undrafted rookie, and fifth-rounder Bradyn Swinson brings pass-rush upside, but the need for youth, depth, and starting-caliber upside remained.

With a run of edge rushers at the top of the second round, the 22-year-old Jacas was stacked in a cluster that included T.J. Parker (No. 35), R Mason Thomas (No. 40), Cashius Howell (No. 41), Derrick Moore (No. 44), and Zion Young (No. 45) throughout the process. Jacas is a rugged edge rusher who might have some question marks about his ability to win with pure speed on the outside. However, the Pats second-rounder makes up for any lack of speed or bend to challenge tackles to the outside with raw power, enough diversity in his pass-rush toolbox, and a relentless motor.

With New England being all about “effort and finish” under head coach Mike Vrabel, Jacas is a textbook Vrabel-era Patriot, capable of disrupting the run and pass game like a future starter. Let’s break down the film to illustrate how Jacas’s game can translate to the next level.

Starting with his impact on the passing game, Jacas is a power-oriented rusher who logged 11 sacks and 41 total pressures in the Big Ten last season, with the bull rush as his foundational move.

Although the best edge rushers win in multiple ways, we put too much emphasis on speed-winners who have great burst and bend around the arc this time of year. In the pros, almost every top sack artist has an impactful power move in their rush plan. It’s flashy to see draft prospects explode past tackles with finesse moves, but the NFL game is still built on power, especially when projecting players into every-down roles.

According to charting by James Foster, Jacas ranked eighth in the draft class with 38.6% of his pressures coming via power. Of that sample, 22.9% were straight bull rushes. The Pats rookie complements his power with a twitchy inside swim (12.9%) and chop+rip moves (22.8%). Plus, Jacas is highly effective as the wrap rusher on stunts where he gets downhill through the line with an impressive closing gear on the quarterback (4.69s 40-yard dash at 6-4, 260 pounds).