This week, it would have been easy to forget that the New England Patriots are in fact a football club. Right now it feels like they’re actually a reality show instead. However, the Patriots, like the other 31 NFL franchises, are in fact making drft picks right now, and they selected Illinois edge rusher Gabe Jacas with the 55th overall pick in the draft.
One of the most productive defensive players in the nation, he finished second in Illinois history with 27.0 sacks, ranked ninth in program history with 35.5 career tackles for loss, and tied for sixth in the Illini record book with seven career forced fumbles.
This week, I almost forgot that the New England Patriots are an actual football enterprise. https://t.co/nEKpVhh778
— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) April 25, 2026
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To borrow the NFL Draft cliche, Gabe Jacas was “a day one starter” in Champaign, as he was a Freshman All-American in 2022. He then earned All-America honors from Phil Steele in both his junior season in 2024 (third team) and senior season in 2025 (fourth team), helping lead the team to back-to-back seasons of nine or more wins for the first time in Illini history.
A true stand up edge rusher, he led the Big Ten with 11.0 sacks, good for sixth best in the nation. A state champion high school wrestler in Florida, his take down skills are elite, and that will serve him well at the next level.
He’s exactly what the Pats need, and he now reunites with his former quarterback teammate, Tommy Devito, in Foxborough.
Jacas becomes the eighth Illini drafted by the New England Patriots and the first since OL Ted Karras (Round 6, No. 221 Overall) in 2016.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.