The Chicago Bears are sitting in a pretty interesting spot heading into April’s NFL Draft, holding the 25th overall pick in the first round. And while a lot of the pre-draft chatter has centered around what they might do offensively-especially with the buzz around quarterbacks and wide receivers-don’t be surprised if they go the other way and bolster their defense. Right now, edge rusher looks like the top priority, and for good reason.
Yes, the Bears already have Montez Sweat, who’s been a difference-maker since arriving midseason. But Sweat turns 30 next year, and while he’s still playing at a high level, Chicago needs a long-term plan opposite him.
Austin Booker flashed some promise late last season, but he’s still more of a rotational piece than a locked-in starter. The Bears need someone who can bring consistent heat off the edge-and there’s a name starting to gain traction that might surprise some folks: Gabe Jacas out of Illinois.
Jacas hasn’t been a fixture in most first-round mock drafts. In fact, most national projections have him pegged as a Day 2 guy-somewhere in the second or third round.
But former NFL scouting director Greg Gabriel sees something different on tape. He sees a player with the kind of traits that translate to the next level: athleticism, power, and a relentless motor.
And if Jacas shows out at the NFL Scouting Combine on February 23, don’t be shocked if his stock takes a serious leap.
Let’s be clear: Jacas fits the mold of what NFL teams are looking for in a modern pass rusher. While sacks get all the headlines, the more telling stat-especially when projecting success at the next level-is tackles for loss. Some of the league’s premier edge rushers didn’t always light up the sack column in college, but they consistently made plays behind the line of scrimmage.
Take a look at these numbers:
- Will Anderson Jr. averaged 1.51 tackles for loss per game at Alabama
- Myles Garrett?
1.35 per game at Texas A&M
- Maxx Crosby posted 1.11 per game at Eastern Michigan
- Even Nick Bosa, in a shorter college career, hit 1.00 per game at Ohio State
The benchmark for NFL success seems to be around 0.60 TFLs per game. Gabe Jacas?
He’s at 0.71. That’s not just respectable-that’s a strong indicator he knows how to disrupt an offense.
And that disruption has been trending in the right direction. After posting four sacks in each of his first two college seasons, Jacas exploded for eight as a junior and then 11 this past season.
That includes a dominant stretch to close the year, racking up 6.5 sacks over his final four games-highlighted by big performances against Wisconsin and Northwestern.
There’s a growing buzz comparing Jacas to Patriots Pro Bowler Matthew Judon. While Jacas doesn’t have elite size, he’s deceptively powerful and has the kind of bend you want in a pass rusher. That combination of traits gives him a chance to be a consistent problem for NFL offenses.
And if the Bears were to pull the trigger on Jacas, it would mark a bit of a full-circle moment. Historically, Chicago used to tap into the University of Illinois talent pool pretty regularly-pulling multiple players from the program every decade.
But that pipeline dried up after 1986. It wasn’t until 2022 that the Bears drafted another Illini player, center Doug Kramer.
And the last time they took a defensive end from Illinois? That was way back in 1962, when they selected Ed O’Bradovich-now a beloved figure in Bears lore and a key piece of the 1963 championship team.
Jacas brings more raw talent than O’Bradovich did, but there’s a similar edge to his game-a relentless, no-quit attitude that fits the Bears’ defensive identity. That kind of energy is something head coach Matt Eberflus and GM Ryan Poles have been trying to cultivate since day one.
Poles, for his part, has shown he’s not afraid to keep things local. He’s brought in guys with Chicago roots like T.J.
Edwards and Scott Daly, and even drafted Hinsdale Central alum Kiran Amegadjie. Jacas, while originally from Florida, has spent his college career just down the road in Champaign.
The Bears have likely had plenty of eyes on him already.
Of course, any potential pick would need to be a fit for defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s scheme. Allen typically leans toward bigger defensive ends, but he’s shown flexibility in the past. If he sees the same upside in Jacas that others are starting to recognize, this could be one of those exceptions.
Bottom line: Gabe Jacas is a name to keep an eye on. He checks a lot of boxes-production, traits, motor-and he’s trending upward at the right time. If he tests well at the combine, don’t be surprised if the Bears are one of the teams seriously considering calling his name on draft night.