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New England Patriots draft pick Gabe Jacas was projected to be a Week 1 starter at edge rusher.
There were a few key areas of need for the New England Patriots in the NFL Draft. That included at edge rusher, which the team tried to address in the second round by taking Gabe Jacas out of Illinois.
It seems like that was a well-spent draft pick. Jacas is already receiving praise, and Ethan Hurwitz of Sports Illustrated has projected that he’ll be a Week 1 starter in 2026.
“Jacas has the highest ceilings of any of this year’s draft picks and will instantly join the lineup across from [Dre’Mont] Jones. Harold Landry, a starter last season, may not be at 100% as he continues to recover from a knee injury,” Hurwitz wrote.
Jacas played at Illinois from 2022 to 2025, earning Freshman All-American, All-American, and All-Big Ten honors during that time. This past season, he totaled 11.0 sacks and 13.5 tackles for a loss in 12 games.
Hurwitz did take note of Harold Landry. Going into 2025, he signed a three-year, $43.5 million contract. Having worked with Mike Vrabel when they were with the Tennessee Titans, the plan did seem to make him a key edge rusher. After an injury-plagued season, however, there are questions about the future. Those are questions the Patriots hope to answer with Jacas.
GettyNew England Patriots draft pick Gabe Jacas
There is no doubt that Patriots EVP of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf has been taking major stock of the edge rusher position. That has included letting K’Lavon Chaisson, who was second on the team in sacks a year ago, walk in free agency.
In Chaisson’s place, the Patriots brought in another veteran, Dre’Mont Jones. Now 29 years old, Jones split his time a season ago with the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens. His 7.0 sacks would have been third on the team in 2025, just a half a sack behind Chaisson. Hurwitz has projected him as a starter.
That does make Harold Landry the major question at edge. If he’s healthy, he’s clearly a veteran who Mike Vrabel trusts. He’s also being paid well, which does occasionally factor into those decisions. At the same time, his health isn’t given. If it’s not there or has cost him to lose a step, then Gabe Jacas becomes a very real consideration.
Regardless of who ends up earning the official starter designation in Week 1, it’s clear that this unit is going to have a completely new look for the Patriots in 2026. The hope is that it will also perform better than it did a season ago.
GettyNew England Patriots draft pick Quintayvious Hutchins
Given that the Patriots used their second-round pick on Gabe Jacas, the majority of attention is going to be focused on him compared to any later round selection. However, he’s far from the only rookie edge rusher on the Patriots.
New England would also select Quintayvious Hutchins out of Boston College with the 247th overall pick. He would be the final pick for the Patriots in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Hutchins spent five seasons in college, redshirting his freshman year in 2021. Most of his production then came in 2024 and 2025, when he played in 23 games with 16 starts. During those final two seasons of his college career, he had 5.5 sacks and 9.0 tackles for a loss.
Expectations are obviously higher on Jacas, but that doesn’t mean Hutchins can’t ever contribute for the Patriots. In particular, if he can provide depth at edge rusher.
Dan Morrison After graduating from UMass in 2019, Dan Morrison quickly began a career in sports journalism and digital media. That has seen him work both as a contributing writer at several publications, as well as spending time on the National News Desk at On3. During that time, he has spent the majority of his time covering football, both at the college and NFL levels. Currently residing in Central Florida, his focus with Heavy is on the NFL. More about Dan Morrison
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