With both edge-rushers Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams coming off pretty serious season-ending injuries, many expect the San Francisco 49ers to pick at least one pass-rusher — maybe more — in the upcoming 2026 NFL draft.
San Francisco’s 20 sacks were the fewest in the league, and with Bryce Huff retiring at 27, and Clelin Ferrell a free agent, the 49ers’ top two leading sackers from last season are no longer with the team.
Fortunately for San Francisco, the 2026 draft class is loaded with talent at pass-rusher, and most analysts believe the team is primed to take one in the first few rounds.
49ers Linked to the ‘Next Trey Hendrickson’
Bosa has successfully come back from ACL surgery before.
But he’ll be 29 a little over a month into next season, and given his injury history, the 49ers would be wise to start looking for a capable replacement should something happen to him again.
ESPN draft expert Matt Miller has the 49ers going offensive tackle in Round 1 of the draft, but he believes the team will address its pass-rusher need in Round 2 with Illinois defensive end Gabe Jacas.
“The 49ers had the fewest sacks of any team in the NFL last season and have edge starters Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams rehabbing from torn ACLs,” Miller wrote. “They need depth. Jacas has great power, despite limited twitch, and a well-developed pass-rush plan.”
At 6-foot-3 and 275 pounds, Jacas is one of the more physically imposing edge-rushers in the country. He’s been compared by The Ringer draft expert Todd McShay to Baltimore Ravens defensive end Trey Hendrickson, a four-time Pro Bowler who’s racked up 74.5 sacks over the last six seasons.
“One of my favorite NFL comps in this year‘s draft is Gabe Jacas (Illinois) and Trey Hendrickson,” McShay wrote. “Like Hendrickson (pk 39, RD3), Jacas won’t be a RD1 pk because he lacks the athletic profile. But both are excellent with their hands, have strong wrestling backgrounds and play with relentless motors and toughness. Jacas will be one of the steals from the ‘26 class.”
Adding a player of Jacas’ caliber will take some of the pressure off Bosa to be 100% right out of the gate, and it also provides some insurance should the injury bug bite the 49ers as hard as it did last season.
Jacas Could Help the 49ers in Other Areas Too
ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. has Jacas listed as the sixth-best edge-rusher in the draft class behind Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr., Missouri’s Zion Young, Auburn’s Keldric Faulk, Miami’s Akheem Mesidor, and Clemson’s T.J. Parker.
And while he certainly can wreak havoc off the edge — he’s tallied 142 pressures, 83 hurries, 31 QB hits, and 27 sacks across four seasons with the Fighting Ilini, according to Pro Football Focus — he also cam impact the game in other ways for San Francisco.
“He’s a hard-nosed rusher with heavy hands and a dedication to defending the run (21 run stuffs over the past two seasons),” ESPN’s Field Yates wrote.
In addition to his 184 tackles, 35.5 tackles for loss, seven forced fumbles, a forced fumble, Jacas also excels at stopping the run. He totaled 14 run stops this season, 25 the year before, and 58 in total in his four seasons at Illinois.
He’s also had a run-defense grade of 64 or higher in three of his four years with the Illini, per PFF.
