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The Dallas Cowboys elected to focus on the offensive side of the football with their first pick of the 2026 NFL draft. However, they decided to go with a defensive theme for their second pick, taking edge rusher Gabe Jacas, in the second round with the 55th overall selection. Jacas measures in at 6-foot-4, 260 pounds.<\/p>\n
This represented a bit of a change from what they did on Thursday night. The Cowboys were not afraid to move up the draft board on Thursday, trading with the Philadelphia Eagles to move up three spots in the draft. That same level of aggression was present on Friday, as they moved up from the 63rd overall pick to select Jacas.<\/p>\n
They traded with the New York Giants, who received the No. 63, No. 131, and No. 202 picks in the draft.<\/p>\n
Cowboys Land Productive Pass Rusher<\/strong>\u00a0Jacas was a four-year starter at Illinois. He tallied 27 career sacks while with the program. This put him second in program history behind the legendary Simeon Rice. The 2025 season saw him play in 12 games.<\/p>\n The edge rusher finished with 43 tackles, 11 sacks, 13.5 tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles. This was his best season statistically for the program, as he established himself as one of the premier pass rushers in the Big Ten.<\/p>\n The edge rusher performed well in late-season conference games. He recorded two sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss, and two quarterback hurries against Northwestern in November. The edge rusher also performed well against Wisconsin the week before, as he tallied a season-high six tackles, including two sacks.<\/p>\n His performance earned him accolades at the end of the season. He was named a 2025 all-Big Ten First-Team honoree. This is just the latest honor in what has been a highly-decorated career. He was also a 2024 Third-Team All-American and 2022 Freshman All-American. He comes to the Cowboys with pedigree.<\/p>\n Cowboys Fill Major Need With Jacas Pick<\/strong>\u00a0He should be able to help with the Cowboys\u2019 pass rush. The Cowboys lost K\u2019Lavon Chiasson to the Washington Commanders in free agency. He had 7.5 sacks last season. The Cowboys were able to address the need for edge help a bit in free agency. They signed Dre\u2019Mont Jones from the Baltimore Ravens. The latter should help the Cowboys in that area. Even still, Jacas should be able to help in that area.<\/p>\n The Cowboys desperately needed help at the edge rusher position. The deficiencies in that area showed up against proper competition, particularly in the playoffs. It would be unfair to expect Jacas to become an elite player right away. However, he does have enough talent and upside to be able to contribute in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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