Measurables
- 6‘3 Height
- 270 lb. Weight
2025 Stats
- 41 Pressures (14%)
- 7 QB Hits
- 11 Sacks
- 14.9% Pass Rush Win Rate
- 88.5 Pass Rush Grade
- 18 Solo Tackles
- 8 Assist Tackles
- 7 Missed Tackles (21.2%)
- 28 Run Stops
- 3 Forced Fumbles
- 2 Penalties
Awards/Accolades
- All Big Ten First Team (2025, Media Vote)
- All-Big Ten Third Team (2024)
- Freshman All American 2022 (First true freshman Illini to receive this)
- Illinois Freshman of the Year (2022-2023, Football)
- All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (2022)
Strengths
- Strength, Agility, And Short Area Quickness. Jacas has a frame that has little to no bad weight and it enables his strength and agility to open up interesting paths and methods to get to the QB that most at his size can’t.
- Good First Step. Can Jump off the line at times.
- Has a Nice Speed to Power Bull Rush, Euro Steps, Feign a swipe then attack inside, Rips, and Inside Spin. Relies on Power Moves to get to the QB
- Solid Stunter, has experience with attacking the line in different ways and can be used as the crasher or the looper well.
- Doesn’t use it often, but there are glimpses of high end finesse with strong bend around the corner outside.
- Nice Pass Rush motor. Maintains pursuit to get coverage sacks.
- Can leverage himself well to get low against blockers in pass or run plays.
Weaknesses
- Lacks any one true elite athletic trait, but good in all of them.
- Strength is negated somewhat by lack of physicality in run game. Doesn’t have a strong anchor due to some bad habits of staying too upright at times and can lose the length battle with only average length.
- First Step Inconsistency limits finesse and speed moves. Could be partially athletic limitations, partially snap count hesitation.
- While he can execute a good amount of power moves, his hands still need work. Can be late to initiate and it hurts the odds of him beating a tackle. Has flashes of impressive sequencing of moves but that can be negated if the first one is too far into the rush. Needs more strike accuracy.
Draft Projection
Round 2 Grade
Gabe Jacas has been a highly productive pass rusher in the Big10 since he entered college, and his final year was a nice culmination of this. His final 4 games he had 21 Pressures for a 22% Pressure Rate, converting them to 6.5 Sacks and a Forced Fumble. He knows how to win at a nice rate, and has been a staple of the Illinois Defense for years.
Jacas still needs work to refine his game to be well rounded, especially against the run and using his finesse moves better. Still he could earn a nice role as a situational Bull Rusher early on to help collapse the pocket and attack lines from a variety of angles. Not being asked to drop back into coverage as often or rush with only 2 other Lineman will help as well, as the Illinois Defensive Coordinator didn’t always put Jacas in the best position to succeed.
For the Colts, Jacas could provide some competition with JT Tuimoloau for the power rusher role as both can fill that archetype. Tuimoloau has the edge in run support, but Jacas was a much more productive pass rusher in college. Both could rotate in as help for Laiatu Latu and whichever veteran Defensive End the Colts pursue in Free Agency. Jacas knows how to rush in ways that can be very disruptive to QBs and help either himself or others in cleanup rack up sacks, which could be a welcome addition for Latu and the Colts Defensive Tackles. He is a plus athlete on the field and could still grow into an even more dangerous threat later on by rounding out his game.
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