{"id":733836,"date":"2026-02-06T17:06:21","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T17:06:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/733836\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T17:06:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T17:06:21","slug":"detroit-lions-2026-nfl-draft-is-gabe-jacas-the-answer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/733836\/","title":{"rendered":"Detroit Lions 2026 NFL Draft: Is Gabe Jacas the Answer?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If the <a href=\"http:\/\/detroitlions.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Detroit Lions;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Detroit Lions<\/a> are serious about giving <a href=\"https:\/\/detroitsportsnation.com\/aidan-hutchinson-nfl-sack-record-2026\/jeff\/detroit-lions\/02\/05\/2026\/483435\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Aidan Hutchinson;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Aidan Hutchinson<\/a> a true partner off the edge, Gabe Jacas is exactly the type of prospect that belongs in the conversation.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s not flashy. He\u2019s not a social-media darling. But he checks a lot of the boxes the Lions have consistently valued under Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell: toughness, effort, production, and the ability to impact games without needing the spotlight.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Gabe Jacas Detroit Lions\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"638\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"standard-img\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/fe62c610a51cad0ea7a328ea8d22ee6c.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Gabe Jacas Detroit Lions<\/p>\n<p>Gabe Jacas wingman for Aidan Hutchinson<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s start with the production, because it matters.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Jacas leaves Illinois as one of the most productive edge defenders in the country, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/gabe-jacas-1.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:finishing his college career with 27 sacks;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">finishing his college career with 27 sacks<\/a>, seven forced fumbles, and well over 180 tackles. In his final season, he emerged as the Big Ten\u2019s sack leader, proving he wasn\u2019t just a complementary piece, he was the guy offenses had to plan around.<\/p>\n<p>That kind of consistency isn\u2019t an accident.<\/p>\n<p>Why his game fits Detroit<\/p>\n<p>When you dig into Jacas\u2019 scouting profile, a few themes jump off immediately:<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Relentless motor \u2014 plays hard every snap, even when he\u2019s not winning cleanly<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Physical edge presence \u2014 willing to set the edge and fight through traffic<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Urgency as a rusher \u2014 no wasted movement, no loafing, no watching the play<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s a strong match for what Detroit already has in Hutchinson. The Lions don\u2019t need Jacas to be a superstar on Day 1. They need him to be the other problem, the guy who punishes protections when all the attention tilts toward No. 97.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Showing it against NFL talent<\/p>\n<p>One of the most encouraging signs for Jacas has been how his game translated when the competition level jumped.<\/p>\n<p>Against NFL-caliber linemen in an all-star setting, Jacas held his own, flashing the same energy, leverage, and competitiveness that showed up on Saturdays. That\u2019s important, because it suggests his production wasn\u2019t just college chaos, it was built on traits that scale.<\/p>\n<p>What role would Jacas play in Detroit?<\/p>\n<p>If the Lions drafted Jacas, the early blueprint is pretty clear:<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Rotational EDGE with a path to expanded snaps<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Pressure package contributor on passing downs<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Edge-setting presence as he continues to add strength<\/p>\n<p>The ideal outcome is obvious: Hutchinson draws doubles, Jacas gets one-on-ones, and quarterbacks are forced to speed things up. That\u2019s how sack numbers spike, not just for one guy, but for the entire front.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>3 Key Points Before The Bottom Line<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Effort travels: Jacas\u2019 play style fits the Lions\u2019 culture and doesn\u2019t disappear when things get tough.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Complement matters more than star power: Detroit doesn\u2019t need another alpha \u2014 they need someone who makes offenses pay for focusing on Hutchinson.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Development upside is real: With NFL coaching and a rotational role early, Jacas has room to grow into a long-term starter.<\/p>\n<p>Bottom Line<\/p>\n<p>Is Gabe Jacas the next wingman for Aidan Hutchinson? Personally, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE his game, and I would not be surprised at all if the Lions select him in the upcoming NFL Draft.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s productive, physical, and relentless, three traits Detroit prioritizes. If the Lions are looking for a young, cost-controlled edge defender who can grow into a bigger role while benefiting from Hutchinson\u2019s presence, Jacas makes a ton of sense.<\/p>\n<p>He may not be the loudest name in the draft, but he feels like a very \u201cLions\u201d pick.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/detroitsportsnation.com\/gabe-jacas-detroit-lions\/ddrysdale\/detroit-lions\/02\/06\/2026\/483470\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Detroit Lions 2026 NFL Draft: Is Gabe Jacas the Answer?;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Detroit Lions 2026 NFL Draft: Is Gabe Jacas the Answer?<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/detroitsportsnation.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Detroit Sports Nation;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Detroit Sports Nation<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If the Detroit Lions are serious about giving Aidan Hutchinson a true partner off the edge, Gabe Jacas&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":733837,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2071],"tags":[1817,146,113,2506,7,23926,147,6,4378],"class_list":{"0":"post-733836","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-detroit-lions","8":"tag-aidan-hutchinson","9":"tag-detroit","10":"tag-detroit-lions","11":"tag-detroitlions","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-gabe-jacas","14":"tag-lions","15":"tag-nfl","16":"tag-the-lions"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116024783181173845","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733836","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=733836"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733836\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/733837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=733836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=733836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=733836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}