The Chicago Bears are betting favorites at present to go defense with their 25th pick in the 1st round this April. Topping the list of positions they’ll target is edge rusher. While they have Montez Sweat, he is hitting 30 next season. Austin Booker came on strong at the end of last season, but he seems like more of a rotational guy than a full-time starter. They need a dynamic option opposite Sweat. There should be some intriguing names to sort through. One that former scouting director Greg Gabriel believes isn’t being talked about enough. That is Gabe Jacas of Illinois.
Up until now, most of the national media have him as a Day 2 guy, going somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd rounds. Gabriel doesn’t see that on tape. To him, Jacas is a gifted pass rusher with the mix of athleticism, power, and motor you always look for in the NFL. If he runs well at the scouting combine on February 23rd, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him jump into the 1st round. Chicago would be a logical landing spot, since they need help at the position and should know plenty about Jacas since he plays in their backyard.
Gabe Jacas checks an important box for future NFL pass rushers.
While everybody focuses on sacks when evaluating that position, the stat that often tells the true story is tackles for a loss. If you look at the best pass rushers in the NFL today, all of them had pretty high tackle for loss totals in college, even if some of them never had the highest sack production.
| Player | College | Total TFL | Career Games | TFL per Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Anderson Jr. | Alabama | 62.0 | 41 | 1.51 |
| Myles Garrett | Texas A&M | 48.5 | 36 | 1.35 |
| Maxx Crosby | Eastern Michigan | 41.0 | 37 | 1.11 |
| Aidan Hutchinson | Michigan | 28.0 | 43 | 0.65 |
| Nick Bosa | Ohio State | 29.0 | 29 | 1.00 |
| Micah Parsons | Penn State | 18.0 | 26 | 0.69 |
| T.J. Watt | Wisconsin | 17.0 | 27 | 0.63 |
Based on the data, if you’re at 0.60 or better in the tackles for loss per game metric, you have a good chance of succeeding at the NFL level. Jacas is at 0.71. He clears the bar by a comfortable margin. Even better, his sacks improved year upon year. After getting four in back-to-back seasons, he had eight as a junior and then 11 this past season. Mind you, he accomplished this with 6.5 sacks in the final four games, including rival matchups against Wisconsin and Northwestern.
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He’s drawn comparisons to former New England Patriots Pro Bowler Matthew Judon. While average in size, he has way more power in his body than you’d think. Couple that with a solid bend, and you have the makings of a consistently productive player.
Drafting Jacas would make some history, too.
The Bears used to dip into the Illinois talent pool quite often. They’d take three or four guys from that school every decade. However, after 1986, they would not select a player from Illinois again until 2022, when they took Doug Kramer. The last time they took a defensive end was 1962. His name was Ed O’Bradovich. Bears now fondly remember him as “OB,” and he was a key component of the Bears’ 1963 championship team. Gabe Jacas is a more talented player, but has that same relentless attitude O’Bradovich did.
Poles has never been shy about taking local guys. T.J. Edwards and Scott Daly both come from the Chicago suburbs. Kiran Amegadjie went to Hinsdale Central High School. There is no question the Bears GM would be excited about the idea of taking an Illinois kid, even if he’s originally from Florida. Everything depends on Dennis Allen, his defensive coordinator, being on board. Normally, he prefers bigger defensive ends, but has made exceptions in the past. This could be one of those times.
