NFL Draft 2026 Scouting Report for Illinois Edge Gabe Jacas

Gabe Jacas is a highly productive college pass-rusher whose combination of size (6'4", 260 pounds) and athleticism will help him translate to the NFL. He wins primarily by turning speed to power and has the movement skills to beat offensive tackles across their faces as an inside counter.

Jacas went to Illinois as a 3-star recruit and became a starter about halfway through his true freshman season. He ended up finishing with 35 tackles, five tackles for loss and four sacks to earn All-Big Ten honorable mention and Freshman All-American honors.

In year two, the Port St. Lucie, Florida native was a regular starter and recorded 31 tackles, four TFLs, four sacks, a pass defended and a forced fumble but did not receive postseason recognition.

Jacas had a breakout campaign as a junior, though, becoming a third-team All-Big Ten and All-American with 74 tackles, 13 TFLs, eight sacks and three FFs.

This season, he finished the regular season as the conference leader in sacks (11) while also logging 43 tackles, 13.5 TFLs, one PD and three FFs to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors.

Matt Holder has been a part of B/R's Scouting Department for four seasons. He also writes about the Las Vegas Raiders and NFL draft for SB Nation's Silver and Black Pride, and co-hosts a YouTube Channel, Tape Don't Lie, providing film breakdowns and more draft prospect analysis.

Highlights

Gabe Jacas highlights

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Where He Wins

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- Jacas has good size and carries his frame well with little to no bad weight.

- Impressive pass-rush production with 27 career sacks in 50 games (as of Dec. 4).

- Has the combination of strength and change of direction skills to be very effective when turning speed to power as a pass-rusher.

- Good quickness for his size to beat offensive tackles across their faces and take advantage of oversets or use as a counter move to his ability to turn speed to power.

- Recognizes when he's even with the quarterback and has a solid inside spin move to avoid rushing too far up the field and get pressure.

- Good pass-rush motor, allowing him to get coverage sacks.

- Solid at running his feet to avoid getting reached in the run game.

- Can create stalemates against pullers as the force player in run fits.

Areas of Improvement

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- Jacas is a below-average run defender, Illinois would often take him out of the game on key run downs.

- Not very physical at the point of attack when taking on blocks against the run.

- Plays high and has issues anchoring against down blocks or when setting the edge versus offensive tackles who play with good leverage.

- Doesn't use his arm length well in the run game, limiting the extension he can get on blocks and making it difficult for him to shed/escape.

- Lacks some explosion off the line of scrimmage to threaten offensive tackles with speed as a pass-rusher.

- Use of hands when rushing the passer is a work in progress, he's often late and isn't good at working the offensive lineman's hands.

Grade, Rank, and Pro Comparison

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GRADE: 7.6 (Key Contributor — 2nd Round)

COMPARABLE GRADE: JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State (7.6 in 2025), Keion White, Georgia Tech (7.7 in 2023), Tuli Tuipulotu, USC (7.6 in 2023)

OVERALL RANK: 50

POSITION RANK: EDGE8

PRO COMPARISON: Jonathan Greenard without the length

Measurables and Testing Data

AP Photo

Height: 6'4"
Weight: 260
Hand: 10"
Arm: 33"
Wingspan: N/A

40-Yard Dash: N/A
10-Yard Split: N/A
3-Cone: N/A
Shuttle: N/A
Vertical: N/A
Broad: N/A