{"id":684432,"date":"2026-01-17T15:45:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T15:45:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/684432\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T15:45:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T15:45:21","slug":"gabe-jacas-is-my-quiet-favorite-edge-fit-for-the-2026-cowboys-inside-the-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/684432\/","title":{"rendered":"Gabe Jacas Is My Quiet Favorite Edge Fit for the 2026 Cowboys \u00bb Inside The Star"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every draft, there\u2019s one player I end up defending more than anyone else. This year, that player is Gabe Jacas, and he\u2019s quietly one of my favorite EDGE fits for the Dallas Cowboys.<\/p>\n

Jacas is not perfect<\/a>, but I can already see how he would be used on Sundays. He isn\u2019t showing up on a lot of highlight reels, he\u2019s not a guy people argue about on draft night.<\/p>\n

But, when you actually watch him play, you start to understand why he keeps winning snaps. Jacas plays strong, stays disciplined, and finishes more reps than he loses.<\/p>\n

Those types of traits matter more than flash once the season grind ends.<\/p>\n

What I like most is how his game could translate to the NFL. He is not built on one move or pure speed. If you watch him, he wins with leverage, timing, and all out effort.<\/p>\n

\"Illinois <\/p>\n

Why He Makes Sense for Dallas<\/p>\n

Dallas has always been best when the defensive line plays downhill and attacks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I see Jacas fitting that mindset because he wants to get upfield, make contact early, and force quarterbacks to move.<\/p>\n

He is not a player you ask to read the backfield or play in space. You let this man do what he does best, play forward and play physical.<\/p>\n

This is a player who doesn\u2019t need to be featured to be effective. He is a lunch pale player who comes to work every snap.<\/p>\n

Jacas is comfortable being part of a unit, not the headlines<\/a>. For a Cowboys team that already has interior talent capable of drawing attention, that is a good thing.<\/p>\n

\"Illinois <\/p>\n

How He Fits Up Front<\/p>\n

The next Cowboys defensive coordinator could put Jacas next to the outstanding interior players on this team.<\/p>\n

Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, and Osa Odighizuwa<\/a> will make this young man\u2019s job simpler. Guards and centers will be busy, which leaves tackles on islands, and Jacas knows how to take advantage of that situation.<\/p>\n

Now, if you were to balance him with a speed presence off the other edge like a Donovan Ezeiruku<\/a>, protections get uncomfortable.<\/p>\n

Slide one way, you\u2019re exposed somewhere else. That is how pressure is supposed to work.<\/p>\n

Jacas isn\u2019t chasing sacks on every snap, he will be collapsing space, closing escape lanes, and forcing hurried throws. Those plays add up, even if the box score doesn\u2019t always show it.<\/p>\n

What Stands Out When You Watch His Tape<\/p>\n

He holds up well against the run<\/a> due to his brute strength and this keeps him on the field. You won\u2019t see him freelance or lose contain trying to make a play.<\/p>\n

As a rusher, he keeps coming even if the first move doesn\u2019t work, he counters.<\/p>\n

If the pocket shifts, he will adjust. This doesn\u2019t allow quarterbacks to relax because he is still coming after them.<\/p>\n

At the combine he will not test like an elite athlete<\/a>, and I\u2019m fine with that. His game isn\u2019t built on being a freak athlete. It is built on being a high motor player who does what he is told over and over again.<\/p>\n

Gabe Jacas\u2019 Draft Value<\/p>\n

We all know Dallas is lacking a second-round pick. This is the area where Jacas makes the most sense as a trade-down option or an early third trade-up option if he falls.<\/p>\n

I think that is the sweet spot for a player like Jacas.<\/p>\n

I see him rotating as a rookie, then carving out a bigger role once coaches trust him.<\/p>\n

A year or two in, he is the kind of EDGE you\u2019re glad you have when games get tight late in the season. I see a George Karlaftis type of player in Gabe Jacas.<\/p>\n

He may never be the loudest name from this class, but I wouldn\u2019t be surprised at all if Gabe Jacas ends up being one of the more useful picks the Cowboys could make.<\/p>\n

Sometimes draft choices are the ones that don\u2019t need much selling. <\/p>\n

Was this helpful?<\/p>\n

Thanks for your feedback!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Every draft, there\u2019s one player I end up defending more than anyone else. This year, that player is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":684433,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2066],"tags":[100012,4955,230,229,257,2461,15093,89201,846,7,23926,6,5450,6735,18427],"class_list":["post-684432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas-cowboys","tag-2026-defense","tag-2026-nfl-draft","tag-cowboys","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-dallascowboys","tag-defensive-end","tag-draft-free-agency","tag-edge","tag-football","tag-gabe-jacas","tag-nfl","tag-pass-rush","tag-run-defense","tag-university-of-illinois"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115911219603989401","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/684432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=684432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/684432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/684433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=684432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=684432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=684432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}