On Friday night, the New England Patriots traded up to draft Illinois edge rusher Gabe Jacas 55th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. However, his Patriots connects go back well beyond the call he got on draft night.
At Illinois Jacas was coached by multiple coaches who spent time with the Patriots, including head coach Bret Bielema. Bielema was with the Patriots in 2018 and 2019 as a defensive assistant, and has been the head coach at Illinois since 2021.
One staffer that Bielema hired after overlapping with in New England was Joe Kim. Kim was the Patriots’ ‘Director of Skill Development’ from 2019 to 2024. He worked mainly with offensive and defensive linemen, and was called “the pass-rush guru” by Nick Saban for using his martial arts background to help coach things like hand placement and leverage. Clearly, he made an impact working with Jacas in that regard last year in a similar role in Illinois.
“Joe Kim is one of the best in the business at that,” Jacas said when asked about Kim after the pick on Friday night. “Joe Kim has been around a lot of players and a lot of teams. And one thing that he always brought to the room was just, be able to use your hand effectively, and then staying on your track line, staying close to the fight. Just attacking the tackle, don’t go around them, don’t go away from them, just go, stay on your track and go right through them. So Joe Kim is my guy, and I really appreciate how he developed me into the pass rusher I am now. And I can’t thank him enough for just helping my game a lot.”
Kim did more than help get Jacas ready for the NFL – he may have also called his landing spot.
“And it’s funny, I had a visit with the Patriots obviously and he was like, ‘Yeah, you’re a Patriot,'” Jacas shared. “And it was just so funny to hear him say that.”
Working with Bielema and Kim, Jacas shared the two would show “a lot of Patriots film” in meeting rooms. Asked if there was one player he watched in those cut-ups who stood out, Jacas answered with a player whose old role he might actually be stepping into in New England.
“I’m so glad you said that. Matt Judon,” Jacas replied. “Joe Kim coached him as well at the Patriots. There’s so many similarities to my game and his, and I can’t wait to just continue to get better and to continue to be a proceeding edge rusher. And that’s someone I can model my game after. Someone that used to be at the Patriots. Speed-to-power guy, able to use his hands well, able to work, edge moves and power moves.”
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Matthew Judon had 32 sacks in 33 career games with the Patriots between 2021 and 2023.
“It’s funny because I talked to him, I think, last year before my senior year, and just hearing his mind and his approach to the game really helped a lot,” Jacas added.
Judon was a part of the Patriots’ big free agency class in 2021, and ended up playing three years in New England. For two seasons he was a force as the team’s pass rusher, with 12.5 sacks in 2021 and then 15.5 in 2022 before a shoulder injury limited him to just four games in 2023. He was traded the following summer after a contract dispute.
Since trading Judon, the Patriots have yet to find a replacement impact pass rusher. In fact in the last 10 years the Patriots have just three double-digit sack seasons, with Judon accounting for two of those while the other came with Joshua Uche picking up 11.5 sacks while playing opposite him in 2022.
The Patriots have spent the last couple of years looking for Judon’s replacement. Last season free agent signing Harold Landry led the team with 8.5 sacks, but 5.5 of those came in the first seven games before he was limited with a knee injury that he’s rehabbing this offseason. Free agent signing K’Lavon Chaisson had 7.5, but left in free agency. No other player had more than four. 2026 free agent signing Dre’Mont Jones had a career-high seven sacks last year between Tennessee and Baltimore.
Now, Jacas will look to add impact and production to that group. How does he win?
“Just playing with a relentless motor. Very disruptive, very violent,” Jacas said when asked to describe his game on Friday night. “Someone that’s very dependable, someone that’s going to bring the energy and the juice to the team. And someone that’s just all around, just an all-out motor player and someone that they can just look forward to see playing. That’s the player they can expect.”
In some ways, that’s the player Judon was in New England. Will Jacas step into his red sleeves?