Patriots can find perfect NFL Draft value fit with 6-foot-4 Illinois star

Feb 25, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots arrived ahead of schedule in the 2025 NFL season. No one expected them to make the Super Bowl.

Now, they've got to do what they can to prove that wasn't a fluke. There's plenty of work to be done.

The 2026 NFL Draft will provide ample opportunity for continued improvements, and the Patriots have plenty of needs still to fill.

ESPN's Mike Reiss wrote in a new article that the Pats have to focus on offensive line, edge rusher and linebacker.

"Team officials are optimistic about the projected starting offensive line: left tackle Will Campbell, left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, center Jared Wilson, right guard Mike Onwenu and right tackle Morgan Moses," Reiss writes. "But they need to build better depth alongside top backup C/G Ben Brown. Also, Moses is 35 and entering his 13th NFL season; coach Mike Vrabel hinted that he'll be managed by a reduced workload in training camp/practices. Likewise, more depth on the edge is a need. Executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said at the combine that the draft matches up nicely for the team because of the volume of quality prospects at that position."

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As part of that blurb, ESPN's draft analyst Matt Miller also chimed in with one player name, the purpose being that this is a guy who would be available beyond the first round.

Miller came up with Gabe Jacas out of Illinois.

"A key area of need for New England is finding speed off the edge," Miller writes. "At 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds, Jacas is well-built but also has the first-step twitch that's missing in Vrabel's defense."

That certainly sounds like a useful piece to add to the defense.

Vrabel's defensive background surely gives him even just a bit of extra insight into the players he helps to evaluate, and it probably gives him some solid say in the draft room when a linebacker-type comes into focus.

Keep an eye on Jacas to New England, because he might fill exactly what they're looking for.

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