Patriots Draft Reaction: Gabe Jacas Feels Like a Damn Patriot Already

I’m gonna be honest — I actually like this Patriots draft class.

And not in that fake “we gotta talk ourselves into it because it’s April” type of way. I mean I really like it.

This class feels like it has a little bit of backbone to it. A little bit of violence. A little bit of old-school Patriot DNA mixed with the new Vrabel/Eliot Wolf era.

The Patriots came out of the 2026 NFL Draft with nine picks: Caleb Lomu, Gabe Jacas, Eli Raridon, Karon Prunty, Dametrious Crownover, Namdi Obiazor, Behren Morton, Jam Miller, and Quintayvious Hutchins. That’s offensive line, edge, tight end, corner, linebacker, quarterback, running back, and more edge. Translation: trenches, toughness, depth, and some actual support around Drake Maye.

That’s what I wanted.

No cute shit. No galaxy-brain “we see something nobody else sees” pick in the second round that makes everybody throw their phone across the room.

Just build the damn football team.

Gabe Jacas Is the Pick I Love

Let’s start with the guy I’m most fired up about: Gabe Jacas.

This dude feels like a Patriot already.

Big Ten edge rusher. Team captain. Productive as hell. Tough. Physical. Violent hands. A guy who looks like he enjoys making offensive tackles have a long, miserable afternoon.

Jacas started all 12 games in his final year at Illinois and put up 43 tackles, a Big Ten-leading 11 sacks, one pass breakup, and three forced fumbles. He was also a team captain and earned All-Big Ten honors. That’s not some random workout-warrior stat sheet. That is real production in a real conference against real offensive linemen.

That’s why I love this pick.

You want Patriot Way? This feels Patriot Way.

Not the corny corporate version where everybody says the same three buzzwords. I mean the real version — tough, prepared, physical, team-first, does his job, and makes the other guy hate being alive by the fourth quarter.

Jacas led the Big Ten in sacks. That matters. You don’t accidentally do that. You don’t stumble into 11 sacks and a captain patch. You earn that shit.

And with Mike Vrabel in the building, I love the idea of bringing in a young edge guy who already plays like he’s trying to rip the hinges off the door.

The Patriots Needed Pass Rush Violence

This team needed more heat off the edge.

You can have all the clever coverage looks you want, but if the quarterback has time to sit back there, sip a coffee, check his email, and then throw a dig route over the middle, you’re cooked.

Jacas gives them a real edge piece to mold. Maybe he’s not instantly a 15-sack monster. That’s fine. But give me a guy with production, power, leadership, and a motor. That’s a player you can work with.

And I don’t care what anybody says — there is something different about a defender who forces fumbles. That tells me he’s not just trying to get there. He’s trying to end the possession. He’s trying to take your lunch and make you apologize for packing it.

That’s Patriot shit.

Eli Raridon Gives Maye a Big Target

Then they go tight end with Eli Raridon out of Notre Dame in Round 3.

I know some people wanted the flashy receiver. I get it. Everybody wants the shiny toy. But tight end matters, especially when you’re building around a young quarterback like Drake Maye.

Raridon gives the Patriots a big body, another option in 12 personnel, and maybe a future piece behind Hunter Henry. FantasyPros noted that adding pass-rush help and giving Maye another target were major needs, and they pointed to Raridon as both a short-term 12-personnel option with Henry and a potential long-term successor with Henry set to hit free agency after 2026.

That’s smart team-building.

And yeah, I know I said Eli at tight end had that Gronk-like vibe. I’m not saying this kid is Gronk. Nobody is Gronk. Gronk was built in a lab by drunk scientists from Worcester and powered by Monster Energy and touchdown spikes.

But when you get a big tight end with size, toughness, and red-zone potential in New England, the brain immediately starts doing the thing.

Big body. Middle of the field. Third down. Red zone. Play-action. Let Maye throw it where only the big bastard can go get it.

That’s the vision.

Caleb Lomu Was the Adult Pick

The first-rounder was Caleb Lomu, offensive tackle from Utah.

Not the sexiest pick. Not the jersey everybody rushes to buy. But it’s the kind of pick grown-up football teams make.

You have Drake Maye. Protect him.

That’s it. That’s the whole damn paragraph.

You don’t draft a franchise quarterback and then let him get folded like a beach chair every Sunday. You invest in the line. You keep building the wall. You make sure the kid can actually develop instead of spending half the season running for his life.

I respect this pick because it makes sense.

Sometimes the boring pick is the right pick. Offensive tackles aren’t fun until you don’t have one. Then every game feels like watching your quarterback stand in traffic.

Jam Miller Late? I Like That A Lot

Now let’s talk Jam Miller from Alabama.

Getting him in the seventh round feels like one of those picks where you go, “Alright, I see the vision.”

He’s not coming in as the savior. He’s not taking over the backfield tomorrow. But late in the draft, I love taking running backs from big programs who’ve been in real football environments and understand competition.

Alabama backs are used to pressure. They’re used to sharing touches. They’re used to pass protection actually mattering. They’re used to being coached hard.

That plays in New England.

Jam Miller gives the running back room more juice, more competition, and another guy who can fight for a role. After the draft, the Patriots also added UCF running back Myles Montgomery as an undrafted free agent, and New England’s running back room suddenly has a lot of young bodies trying to punch somebody out of a roster spot.

That’s a good thing.

Iron sharpens iron. Or in football terms, somebody is getting cut if they don’t bring it.

The Rest of the Class Has Some Teeth Too

This wasn’t just three picks and a shrug.

Karon Prunty gives them corner depth. Dametrious Crownover is another offensive tackle, and I love doubling down on the line. Namdi Obiazor gives them linebacker depth. Behren Morton is a late-round quarterback dart. Quintayvious Hutchins is another edge shot from Boston College.

Again, I like the theme.

Offensive line. Edge. Tight end. Corner. Linebacker. Running back.

That’s not random. That’s roster-building.

CBS Sports gave the Patriots class a B+, while NFL.com listed the full class and gave New England a B in its draft grades. So even outside New England, people seem to get what the Pats were doing here.

Now obviously draft grades are mostly content treadmill bullshit. Nobody actually knows until the pads come on. But I’d rather see analysts saying, “Yeah, this makes sense,” than everybody immediately asking if the front office lost a bet.

UDFA Watch: The Patriots Always Have One Weird Guy

Now the undrafted free agents.

This is where the Patriots have always been fun. You know there’s gonna be some random dude from a small school or Ivy League program who shows up in camp, catches three passes in the rain, makes a special teams tackle, and suddenly every Pats fan is like, “This guy is making the roster.”

The reported UDFA class includes names like Jacob Rizy, Kyle Dixon, Channing Canada, Nick DeGennaro, Myles Montgomery, Cameron Dorner, Tanner Arkin, Jimmy Kibble, JonDarius Morgan, David Blay, and Kenneth Harris.

A few stand out right away.

Jacob Rizy, the Harvard offensive lineman, is interesting because he can play inside at center or guard and reportedly tested like a freak with a 9.88 Relative Athletic Score. That’s the kind of nerdy offensive-line shit that becomes important in August when everybody is banged up and you need a guy who can snap, pull, and not get someone killed.

Kyle Dixon is another one I’m watching. He’s a bigger receiver at 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, ran a 4.5, and had 143 catches, 2,394 yards, and 24 touchdowns in 22 games at Culver-Stockton. Small-school guy, big production. That’s the lottery ticket.

Channing Canada brings speed at corner. He ran a 4.35-second 40, which Pats Pulpit notes is in the 92nd percentile among cornerback prospects since 1999. I don’t care where you went to school — if you can run like that, you’re getting a look.

Cameron Dorner is sneaky too. North Texas receiver, strong hands, shifty after the catch, and reportedly dropped just one pass last season. That’s the kind of detail that makes me perk up. Can you separate? Can you catch? Can you survive camp? Let’s find out.

David Blay is the defensive tackle I’m watching. The Patriots dipped into the Miami pipeline and got a different kind of nose/interior body — more penetrator than space-eater. That’s worth keeping an eye on when the pads come on.

And then there’s Myles Montgomery, because any running back room competition is worth tracking. Especially in New England, where one missed blitz pickup can get you buried on the depth chart and one nasty preseason drive can get fans ready to buy your jersey.

What This Draft Says About the New Patriots

This draft feels like the Patriots know what they want to be.

They’re not trying to win Instagram.

They’re trying to build a football team.

Protect Drake Maye. Add pass rush. Add tight end help. Add corners. Add competition. Throw darts at tough athletes. Make camp uncomfortable.

That’s how it should be.

The Patriots do not need to be cute right now. They need to be physical. They need to be disciplined. They need to protect the quarterback, hit the other quarterback, and stop acting like everything can be fixed with some magical scheme wizardry.

Football is still football.

Block.

Tackle.

Rush.

Cover.

Catch the damn ball.

Don’t overcomplicate it.

Final Thoughts

I’m not saying this is some guaranteed franchise-changing draft class. Nobody knows that yet.

But I like the smell of it.

Gabe Jacas feels like a Patriot. That’s the pick that gets me fired up. Big Ten sack leader, captain, forced fumbles, tough as hell — sign me up.

Eli Raridon gives Drake Maye a big tight end target and a future plan behind Hunter Henry. Caleb Lomu helps protect the franchise quarterback. Jam Miller is a fun late-round Alabama back with some juice. The rest of the class adds depth, competition, and toughness.

And the UDFA group has enough weird Patriots energy that I guarantee at least one of these dudes becomes a summer storyline.

This was a good draft.

Not perfect. Not flashy as hell. But tough, physical, and built like a team that actually has a plan.

That’s all I wanted.

Now get these boys in camp and let’s see who can actually hit.

— Hot Packs Off The Block / Dead Roots Fight Co.