From now until the 2026 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Illinois EDGE Gabe Jacas.
#17 GABE JACAS/EDGE, ILLINOIS (SENIOR) – 6-3/260
Measurements
Player Ht/Wt Hand Size Arm Length Wingspan
Gabe Jacas 6-3/260 N/A N/A N/A
40-Yard Dash 10-Yard Dash Short Shuttle 3-Cone
N/A N/A N/A N/A
Broad Jump Vertical Bench Press
N/A N/A N/A
THE GOOD
– Solid athletic ability
– Explosive out of stance
– Great straight-line speed
– Quick change of direction
– Uses quick jab step to beat lunging lineman
– Good play strength
– Takes on blocks with great contact balance and violence
– Has the power to bull rush
– Holds blockers up with strong arms
– Splatters pullers to impact run plays
– Good hand usage to win as a pass rusher
– Uses a strong swipe to affect the quarterback
– High motor
THE BAD
– Low IQ run defender
– Gets confused by pullers away from him
– Gets picked on vs zone read
– Struggles to secure the edge when engaged with blocks
– Does not shed blocks quickly vs the run
– Struggles to make tackles when engaged with blocks
– Loses sight of the ball carrier when engaged with blocks
– Fooled by misdirection
– After his first move gets stopped, he struggles to win
– Average bend
– Out of control tackler
STATS
– Started 43 games across 4 seasons at Illinois
– 2025: 43 tackles, 13.5 TFL, 11 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 1 PBU
– Led the Big Ten in sacks with 11
– Career: 183 tackles, 35.5 TFL, 27 sacks, 7 forced fumbles, 2 PBUs
– Played 35 snaps in coverage in 2025
INJURY HISTORY
– Suffered a hand injury as a child that led to significant nerve damage, requiring extensive surgery and months of physical therapy
BACKGROUND
– Turning 22 in May of 2026
– Named to 2025 All-Big Ten Second Team
– Received 2024 All-Big Ten Third Team Honors
– Named a True Freshman All-American in 2022
– Won Illinois’ Rookie of the Year in 2022
– Three-star recruit out of Fort Pierce Central High School in Florida
– Ranked the No. 135 player in Florida
– He also wrestled in high school, winning the state championship twice, and was named All-State
– Won the TCPalm Male Athlete of the Year
– Jacas’ brother, Khaliq, played football at FIU and has trained with him their whole lives. Gabe would call him his superhero when they were younger. When Khaliq graduated from FIU, he served as Gabe’s personal coach
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Gabe Jacas is a fun, violent player who has continued to improve throughout his college career. He was one of the winners of the Senior Bowl and displayed the skill to compete with NFL talent.
The most interesting thing about his skill set is his speed and power combination, rare for someone of his size. He gets out of his stance quickly and attacks with great pad level and contact balance. This lets him abuse blocking tight ends, like on this play.
When his momentum is moving forward, no blocker is going to want to get in front of him. He can be out of control at times, but when he takes on pullers, he will use his speed to undercut them and make tackles.
There is no tight end that will want to take him head-on, and if they do, they will be blown back. Here, he undercuts the puller and secures the tackle.
Jacas wins vs the run with his speed and power, but he needs to work on shedding blocks quicker. He has active hands as a pass rusher, but that goes away when defending the run. He will stay engaged with the blocker and bury his head, losing sight of the ball carrier.
Teams can run at him and secure the edge due to his inability to secure the C-gap, a problem that needs coaching. Elite edge run defenders can make tackles while fighting off a block, but he has trouble multitasking. He uses all his strength to shed the block. When that doesn’t work, the ball carrier can move right past him.
When he wins against the run with a quick jab step, he struggles to secure the ball carrier because of his out-of-control feet. This problem also shows up as a pass rusher, as securing the quarterback is a problem.
As I said before, he has trouble multitasking, so when he is focused on beating the blocker, he needs to reset before making a tackle or sack. These next two plays are perfect examples. On this play, he abuses the tight end with a quick move, but fails to tackle the running back and allows a touchdown.
Here, he chops the tackle’s arms down to win the rep, but does not change his speed at all. This allows the quarterback to evade the sack and get out of the pocket. It is still an encouraging rep because of the win, and this can be taught in the NFL.
Despite his problem with securing the quarterback, Jacas is a productive pass rusher with a deep arsenal of pass-rush moves to beat offensive linemen. Just like against the run, his combination of speed and power is what makes him an issue for opposing tackles. He has strong arms to chop, rip, and swipe to get to the quarterback.
He has a good change of direction that allows him to win on stunts, and he can rush from inside to get around the edge and force pressure. Here he is in a 4i. You can see the active hands to get to the quarterback and force him out of the pocket.
If Jacas is lined up against a weaker tackle, he will be able to bull rush and move the lineman back into the quarterback. When he gets momentum, the tackle better have a good anchor because Jacas will use all his force to push him back.
He strains to win every rep, which is encouraging but can change how teams view his ceiling. Here, he dominates the left tackle and forces an incompletion.
CONCLUSION
Gabe Jacas will be a productive player against both the run and the pass due to his combination of speed and power. Because of how violent he plays, teams will fall in love with him, but I struggle to see how much he will grow as a pass rusher at the next level. He uses hands on almost every rep versus the pass, and it takes his full effort to win reps.
Versus the run, I can see a lot of growth with shedding blocks; he needs to take control of his body and learn how to multitask with shedding blocks and making tackles. Despite his limited ceiling as a pass rusher, I foresee Jacas having a productive career and helping teams win games.
NFL Projection: Mid-Day 2
Steelers Depot Grade: 7.9 (Spot Starter)
Grade Range: 7.5-8.4
Games Watched: at Indiana (2025), vs USC (2025), vs Ohio State (2025), at Washington (2025)
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