The Patriots maneuvered up the board again on Friday, trading up to select Illinois edge defender Gabe Jacas 55th overall.
The Patriots dealt the No. 63, 131 and 202 overall picks for the Chargers’ 55th selection to select Jacas.
The Patriots also traded up to take Utah offensive Caleb Lomu 28th overall on Thursday, dealing away the 125th overall pick. The Patriots entered the draft with two fourth-round picks (Nos. 125 and 131) and now have none. They still have one third-round pick, one fifth-round pick, three sixth-round selections and one seventh-round pick.
Jacas took a visit to Gillette Stadium during the pre-draft process. He’s exactly what the Patriots are looking for in terms of height, weight, and speed.
At 6-foot-4, 261 pounds, Jacas ran a 4.69-second 40-yard dash at his pro day. A team captain in 2026, Jacas registered 11 sacks with 13.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and one pass breakup.
Jacas joins Harold Landry, Dre’Mont Jones, Elijah Ponder, Bradyn Swinson and Jesse Luketa on the Patriots’ edge defender depth chart. The team desperately needed more depth on the edge.
Illinois defensive end Gabe Jacas is blocked in action against Washington offensive lineman Drew Azzopardi during an NCAA football game, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said earlier this month that the team was looking for more size and speed on the edge.
“I never want a smaller guy. No, faster guy. I said I never want a smaller guy. Yeah, we could complement our room with some speed,” Wolf said. “I think that’s evident. Dre’Mont, Harold, Elijah and some of the other guys we have, they all have their skill sets. We would like to get faster. Dre’Mont’s a guy that can play across the line, run games. I mean, he can sneaky beat you with speed, but that’s probably not his bread and butter. So, that’s an area that we’re looking to try to improve the depth on the roster.”