The New England Patriots' 2026 draft was a mixed bag, with their first three picks addressing their top needs. First-round pick, left tackle Caleb Lomu, will immediately assume the swing tackle role.
In the third round, the team selected big tight end Eli Raridon of Notre Dame, addressing another needy position. In the middle, the team hit the jackpot with a terrific edge pass-rusher, Illinois' Gabe Jacas, who draft expert Todd McShay now touts as his favorite 2026 second-round draft pick.
While the draft went downhill somewhat thereafter, the top three premium picks will go a long way toward determining how well a team conducted the draft. By all accounts, Lomu and Jacas were spot-on picks at exactly the right positions of need and likely the best players available at those positions. It's exactly how a team should draft if they want to improve.
In Jacas' case, he filled a major need that the team had in 2025. Their depth at the edge was severely tested when Harold Landry III was hampered by a knee injury. They had no NFL-caliber replacement on hand, and it cost the team.
Since then, they essentially swapped K'Lavon Chaisson for Dre'Mont Jones in free agency until they added Jacas. And as McShay notes, his addition is top shelf.
Gabe Jacas will be a difference-maker on the edge for the Patriots
The Patriots were outsacked in Super Bowl LX by the Seattle Seahawks 6-1. That disparity (along with three related offensive turnovers) cost them the game. Their two overarching needs this offseason were sack prevention and sack production. They did some good things in both areas. Whether they did enough remains to be seen, but on the production side, Jacas fits the bill to a T.
Bleacher Report's Zach Bachar cites top draft analyst Todd McShay's selecting Gabe Jacas of the Patriots as his favorite second-round pick and quotes comments from The McShay Show.
"McShay was particularly impressed with the Patriots' selection of Gabe Jacas in the second round, as he's coming off a senior season with Illinois in which he racked up 13.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks in 12 games.
"'Jacas is not gonna beat you with speed and athleticism, but look at the sack guys in the league,' McShay said Thursday on The McShay Show (14:28 mark). 'So many of them are relentlessness, leverage, power, fighting through, extending the rush through contact, all of those things. Jacas immediately steps in and becomes an impact player for this defense, that's exactly what they needed.'"
The key stat noted by Bachar was Jacas' 11 sacks, and he also had three forced fumbles. Quarterback pressures and hits are helpful, but it's sacks that are play-ending and maybe even drive-ending plays. There is no substitute, and Jacas brings the goods.
The Patriots needed a double-digit sack producer and got one of the best in the 2026 draft in Jacas.
Landry will be 30 in June and is coming off knee surgery. If he goes down, Jones and Jacas will likely be the starters. The Patriots could have done a whole lot worse.
While adding another veteran sack-producer as an insurance policy would be a great idea, at least they'll have Jacas on hand should Landry's injury problems recur.
As McShay says, Jacas is relentless. He has one prime objective: getting to the quarterback and finishing. It's exactly what the Patriots needed on defense.
If they increase their sacks produced, and their offensive line, with the additions they've made, can reduce their sacks allowed significantly, there's no telling just how good this Patriots team can be.
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