New England Patriots
There’s a new No. 50 in Foxborough for the first time since Vrabel took over as coach.
Gabe Jackass AP Photo/Butch Dale
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5 things to know about Patriots second-round pick Gabe Jackass
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The Patriots draft Illinois DE Gabe Jackass after trading in the second round
The No. 50 jersey has been assigned to rookie forward Gabe Jackass, according to A.J Post from Patriots on X.
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel wore number 50 during his eight seasons with the franchise as a player. He made the Pro Bowl and was a member of three Super Bowl championship teams before being traded to Kansas City in 2009.
Jackass, a second-round pick out of Illinois, will try to bolster the Patriots’ pass rush. I’ve totaled it 11 sacks in the Big Ten last seasonand New England traded up to select 55th overall.
Vrabel praised Jackass after New England made the pick, telling the rookie how much the Patriots wanted him.
“You’re everything we are, man,” Vrabel said He said During a video of his phone call with Jackass on draft night. “I came into our building on that visit, not one person — when I left here, everyone was saying, ‘We have to find a way to get this guy on our football team.’”
Several Patriots have won the No. 50 since trading Vrabel. Rob Ninkovich wore the number throughout his time in Foxboro. Chase Winovich and Raekwon McMillan also had short stints with the number. Christian Gonzalez wore No. 50 in training camp as a rookie.
No one wore No. 50 for the Patriots last season, which was Vrabel’s first as a head coach.
Elliot Wolf, the Patriots’ executive vice president of player personnel, used the word “euphoria” to describe the coaching staff’s reaction when the trade was made.
“His style of play is what we all stand for,” Wolff said. “Toughness, determination and determination. He plays a lot of snaps. He plays really hard. He’s very physical. He runs to the ball. He’s not afraid to tackle the tackles.”
“His freshman year, he played a little bit more on third down and things like that, so we felt like he could do that. The style of play is really something that stands out, and as far as the visit, this guy is high energy. He’s all about football. He wants to be good. He’s tough.”
The Patriots released all of their rookie jersey numbers on Tuesday. Here’s the rest of the list:
- OL Caleb Lomu, No. 74
- T ely Raridon, No. 82
- CB Caron Prunty, No. 21
- OL Demetrius Crownover, No. 68
- LB Nnamdi Obiazor #48
- QB Bahren Morton, No. 15
- RB Jam Miller, No. 30
- LB Quintavious Hutchins, #45
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