The clocking is ticking on the Illinois football offseason, as the 2025 campaign quickly nears.
That first game of the season against Western Illinois is going to feel so good. The Illini haven’t played a game since late December 2024 when we took down South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl.
Most of that Illinois squad is returning for the 2025 season as well. This includes our quarterback Luke Altmyer and arguably, our best defender in Gabe Jacas.
Over the years, Jacas has really developed into a nice player. He burst onto the scene and was a Freshman All-American, and since then, he has progressed into one of the best edge rushers in the country.
On Thursday, Pro Football Focus College released a top 10 that featured the 10 best edge rushers for the 2026 NFL Draft. These aren’t technically the 10 best edge rushers in the country because there are some who aren’t draft-eligible yet, but these are the 10 best that NFL scouts will be looking at for the upcoming draft.
There are some big names at the top. TJ Parker from Clemson is No. 1. Rueben Bain Jr. from Miami sits at No. 3. A little further down, you will see that usual orange “I” and the name Gabe Jacas sitting at No. 8 on the list.
Top 10 Edge Rushers in the 2026 NFL Draft♨️ pic.twitter.com/oNnWpSks93
— PFF College (@PFF_College) July 10, 2025
Being on the list of the top 10 draft-eligible edge rushers for the upcoming NFL Draft is a pretty big deal. With over 130 teams just in the FBS, and a handful of edge rushers on each team, to be in the top 10 is a pretty special mark.
Gabe Jacas could continue an impressive Illinois football trend in the NFL Draft
With Jacas being projected as one of the top edge rushers heading into the draft in 2026, where would that put him round-wise?
Well, it is all going to depend on whether Jacas keeps up his level of play. He has the physical gifts to be one of the top players drafted, as he stands at 6-foot-3, 275 pounds. His play hasn’t dropped off either. In fact, every year, he gets better.
In Jacas’ first two seasons at Illinois, he combined for 67 tackles, eight sacks, and one forced fumble. As a junior last season, Jacas had 74 tackles, eight sacks, and three forced fumbles.
That type of progression as a player shows me Jacas is working on his game. He is going to only improve as a senior in 2025. Can you imagine the numbers he is about to put up?
If I had to take a guess, I would venture to say Jacas can have another big season and land himself in the top three rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft. He plays an important position for the NFL, and that will help him rise rapidly in the draft rankings.
Going in one of the first three rounds would be big for Illinois, too. That would give the Orange and Blue six straight NFL Drafts where a player has been selected in one of the first three rounds. That would be an impressive run. Jacas can do it without a doubt.