Overview

Position: EDGE

College: Illinois

Class: Senior

Age: 21

 

Measurables

Height: 6’3 5/8”

Weight: 260 lbs.

Arm length: 33”

Hand size: 10”

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: N/A

10-yard split: N/A

Vertical jump: N/A

Broad jump: N/A

Bench press: 30 reps

3-cone drill: N/A

Short shuttle: N/A

 

Strengths

Strong overall build with ideal length. Standout wrestler in high school with terrific strength. High motor and effort. Hands are quick and strong to combat off the ball and into the rush. Shows a quick first step with burst off the ball. Outstanding power on the bull rush. Very strong rip move. Dips underneath the reach of offensive tackles around the corner. Able to lift offensive tackles to work back inside at the top of the rush. Uses hands at the top of the rush and frees himself to reach for the quarterback. Hands are quick and strong on inside moves. Quick splitting blockers as a rusher. Very effective counter spin to track a quarterback who escapes out of the pocket. Impressive agility to finish. Controlled aggression while closing. Hits into the quarterback with tremendous force and will cause fumbles. Effective on stunts. Experience on both sides of the formation. Mostly a stand-up rusher but has experience shaded on the inside shoulder of offensive tackles. Saw snaps with one or both hands in the ground. Great overall play recognition. Very strong hands taking on blocks. Excellent strength fighting between blockers. Strong fighting through blocks when crashing inside. Outstanding strength versus pulling offensive linemen on the edge. Very strong taking on tight ends. Wraps up effectively in the backfield and around the line of scrimmage. Aggressive pinching inside off the ball versus the run. Comes into the backfield under control when attacking and reading at the mesh point. Will fight through blocks as the backside defender and make the tackle behind the line of scrimmage. Tremendous instincts to stop and make a tackle working down the line of scrimmage while taking on a block. Quick feet breaking down to defend cutbacks in general. Very good acceleration and speed in pursuit. Great in pursuit to tackle near the sideline. Excellent overall effort in pursuit. Quick to diagnose perimeter screens. Experience dropping in coverage and shows athleticism covering ground.

 

Weaknesses

Can get controlled as a rusher when opponents get their hands on him early. Sometimes lacks twitch as a rusher to disengage and win if he doesn’t get a good jump. Has some trouble bending around the corner and flattening on the quarterback. Doesn’t appear as explosive and comfortable rushing with a hand in the ground. Can get too aggressive crashing down the line of scrimmage at the snap and find himself inside on a run to the edge. Can get blocked inside in general on outside runs. Kept crashing down and struggled to find the ball on outside runs versus USC (2025).

 

NFL comparison

Bradley Chubb

 

Conclusion

Overall, Jacas is a very strong edge defender with burst, high effort, and effective hand usage both as a rusher and versus the run. His best fit should be as a 3-4 outside linebacker with the versatility and power to shade inside at times.

 

Big Board ranking: #52 | Positional ranking: #8