The Patriots traded up in the second round to grab Illinois linebacker Gabe Jacas. (Photo courtesy of NE Patriots)

The New England Patriots seem to be taking care of some of their needs in this weekend’s NFL Draft.

Friday night they drafted players at two positions they defintely could use: edge /linebacker and tighe end.

First, they traded up in the second round with the pick-starved Chargers to draft Illinois linebacker/sackmaster Gabe Jacas at No. 55. They gave the Chargers picks 63, 131 (their other fourth rounder) and one of their sixth round picks at 202.

After the deal, that leaves the Patriots today with one fifth round pick (171), three sixths (191, 198, 212) and a seventh round choice (No. 247).

They also selected 6-6 Notre Dame tight end Eli Raridon with their third rounder at No. 95. With veteran Hunter Henry not getting any younger, it seems that the team will eventually need depth at the position.

As for the trade, Patriots Executive VP of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf said Jacas was the highest ranked player on their board and the Patriots begin exploring ways to get him.

“We were calling a bunch of teams before we ended up making the trade, and fortunately the Chargers wanted to acquire some more picks, so we were able to get up and get the player that we coveted,” Wolf said.

Jacas played in 50 games in four seasons at Illinois and totaled 183 tackles (97 solo). His 27 career sacks were the most among active Big Ten defenders in 2025, fifth nationally in the FBS. Sounds like he can get to the quarterback.

“Just fell in love with the coaching staff, especially coach Mike Smith, outside linebacker coach there,” Jacas said about his visit to Foxborough. “And just his philosophy and his mindset on just the position, I just loved it, and I knew this team, if they were to get me, was going to be the right fit for me. So, I’m just blessed that they gave me a chance, and they came and got me when they did.”

“Yeah, I mean, the play style is what we’re all about Jacas. “Toughness, determination, grit. He plays a ton of snaps. He plays really hard. He’s super physical. He runs to the ball. Not afraid to take on blockers. His junior year, he played a little bit more inside on third downs and things like that, so that’s something that we felt like he could do. Just really the play style is something that stood out, and as far as the visit, this guy is high energy. He’s all about football. He wants to be good. He’s powerful. The coaches were ecstatic when we were able to acquire him, and the visit was a big part of that.”

He also has a background in wrestling, and said that helped his football acumen.

“Yeah, wrestling helped a lot,” Jacas said. “You know, I wrestled for four years in high school, and just to say, like, the ability to, you know, being low, having leverage, using your hands, fighting, those all keyed into football.”

As for Raridon, he played in 40 games with 18 starts, and had 48 career receptions for 623 yards and three TDs for the Irish – 32 of those for 482 of those yards just this past season. He overcame knee issues earlier in his career, issues Wolf said the medical staff has signed off on.

“Tremendous athlete,” Wolf said. “One year player, has overcome some serious injuries there at Notre Dame to really kind of find his own this year. You can see him sort of, again, coming into his own as we went through the season.”

Wolf said there was some debate about the pick.

“Eli was the highest player available on our board for a while there, but there were some guys that were kind of on the same level,” Wolf said. “But obviously, needing a tight end, having a guy that’s 6’6″, 245, that is kind of just scratching the surface, ultimately won out.”