Illinois edge rusher Gabe Jacas is one guy who could really see his stock rise during the pre-draft process (Scouting Combine, campus Pro Day, private workouts, All-Star showcase games). While he got off to a really fast start, looking dominant through the first couple games, Illini fans did not hear his name called too much after that, up until last weekend’s rout of Rutgers. For most of those other six games in between, he’s been a bit quiet. This despite the fact that Jacas has all the required tangibles to be a blue chip prospect. 

However, there is clear and obvious reason as to why he hasn’t put up the big time sack and tackle for a loss number- the scheme. Among the Illinois fan base, defensive coordinator Aaron Henry is the least popular individual within the program. His unit has been gashed consistently, with some really ugly showings against Indiana, USC and Washington. 

The pass defense has been the biggest weakness of the team, but credit Bret Bielema and his staff for finding a way to win against USC, despite how dominant the Trojans passing game was on that day. As any disgruntled Illini fan will tell you, Henry often rushes only three, and this tactic often fails. 

Rushing three and dropping back nine is not a play call that works in the favor of an Edge/DE/OLB and Jacas hasn’t been optimized this season. One could even say he has been under-utilized, and now, he looks like more of a third round pick. Entering the season, he had a realistic chance of playing his way into the first round, but now, he’ll need to really bring it during the activities in January-March to make that happen. 

We’re confident he will, because he has all size, speed skill and technique required to do so. 

As for Henry, it is doubtful that he’ll be back in the DC role next season. After three years in this role, it is crystal clear that he just wasn’t ready for a gig like this, and he’s just one of those in-house promotion hires that came too soon.Â