The New England Patriots selected edge rusher Gabe Jacas from Illinois with the 55th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. They used picks No. 63, 131 and 202 to move up in a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers to get their man on Friday night.

Jacas, a First-Team All-Big Ten defender, fills an immediate edge-rushing need for the Patriots. He recorded 43 tackles, 11 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss last season. He also proved to be a disruptor in terms of creating turnovers, as he forced three fumbles on the year to go along with seven quarterback hurries and 22 quarterback hits.

Heading into the draft, the Patriots' top two options at edge rusher were Dre'Mont Jones and Harold Landry III. K'Lavon Chaisson signed with the Washington Commanders in free agency, and the Patriots released Anfernee Jennings this offseason.

Now, Jacas, a former two-time high school state wrestling champion, will step in and try to help fill the void. Here are some of the reactions on social media to the Patriots' Day 2 draft pick:

#Patriots rookie Gabe Jacas was an All-State wrestler in high school and was thought to be the most violent pass rusher in the draft class.🔹6’4”🔹260lbs🔹21-Years-Old🔹4-Year StarterLove this pick! pic.twitter.com/a1GI4ARiwW

My only regret is having to wait til Monday to have Boston sports radio hosts explain why drafting Gabe Jacas, a team captain with 12 sacks, 13.5 TFLs and 50 career games was a bad pickpic.twitter.com/b7bNyKGpmE

Initial thoughts and film on Gabe Jacas, who might be as close to a perfect #Patriots match as there is in this draft 👇🏾 pic.twitter.com/RxLtrdAiMy

Violent. Incredibly strong. A true Mike Vrabel edge player.Matthew Judon was his pro comp at https://t.co/qSBwtQTIao: https://t.co/YQAWUU8PGj https://t.co/j0ZaEfU7Vk

— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) April 25, 2026

.@tkyles39 on the Patriots selecting Illinois EDGE Gabe Jacas with the 55th pick:"I like the violence ... he's a guy who can play every down. He's been a captain ... He checks a lot of the boxes for what the Patriots like."FULL Gabe Jacas Reaction: https://t.co/uZ6m6oBoeR https://t.co/0RfRG5Zrkq pic.twitter.com/i6obyacstR

I love the aggressiveness in the draft by the team.So refreshing

I actually love this pick for them. Zak Kuhr type of guy

I hope Pats fans realize what they just got in Jacas. Led the B10 in sacks last year & gives MAXIMUM effort every single play. Y'all got a gem and in a couple years or so, I wouldn't be surprised to see him dominating NFL QBs. As a lifelong Illini fan, I'm so happy for him! 🟧🟦

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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Twitter reacts to Patriots trading up, drafting LB Gabe Jacas on Day 2