New England Patriots
The Patriots packed up three picks Friday night to trade up and draft the Jackass.
Illinois defensive end Gabe Jackass during a game against Washington in October 2025. AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson
The New England Patriots bolstered their pass-rushing corps on Friday night — drafting Illinois defensive end Gabe Jackass in the second round (No. 55 overall) of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Patriots traded up for a second-round pick to pick the Jackass – sending picks No. 63, No. 131 and No. 202 to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for the No. 55 pick.
Jackass, 21, is coming off a strong season as a team leader with Illinois, where he leads the Big Ten with 11 sacks while forcing three fumbles in 12 games. He added 43 tackles, 13.5 of which were tackles for loss.
Jackass, a four-year starter for the Fighting Illini, is the type of highly physical player that Mike Vrabel and the Patriots wanted on the defensive side of the ball.
The 6-4, 260-pounder may start his career as a rotational edge rusher, but Jackass has the frame to grow and develop into a solid three-down player in time.
Jacas’ NFL.com draft profile featured his NFL comparison As former Patriots standout pass rusher Matthew Judon.
Jackass, a former champion wrestler at Florida State, fills an immediate need for the Patriots, who recorded just 35 sacks during the 2025 regular season. Only six NFL clubs recorded fewer sacks last year than New England.
Even with New England signing Dre’Mont Jones in free agency, the Patriots need all the rushing backup they can get — especially after K’Lavon Chaisson left in free agency.
Speaking earlier this month, Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Elliot Wolf acknowledged that upgrading the edge position was one of New England’s priorities in this draft.
“Yes, we can complete our room some speed. I think that’s clear,” Wolf said. “Dremont and Harold [Landry] And Elijah [Ponder] And some of our other guys, they all have their own skills. We would like to get faster.
“You know, Dre’Mont is a guy who can play across the line, run games. I mean he can beat you up quick, but maybe that’s not his bread and butter. And that’s an area we’re looking at, again, to try to improve the depth on the roster.”
The Patriots are next on the clock in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft with the 95th pick.
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