The New England Patriots had to wait a while before Gabe Jacas finally showed up. When he did, however, the second-round draft selection wanted to make sure to send a clear message to his new team and its fans.
Jacas was bought in and ready to work.
“I just want to let all the Patriots fans now that I’m all behind everybody,” the rookie defender said. “You’re going to get the best player out of me each and every game. Anything I can do to help the team win, I’m going to do it. Whatever it takes.”
Coupled
with his skillset, Jacas’ approach has allowed him to bring the three E’s to the Patriots defensive line: eagerness, energy, explosiveness.
Just ask fellow outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones
“First impression is that he’s eager. He plays with that eagerness and that energy,” said Jones. “As a collective group, and as a team, and as a staff we’re all just trying to hone in his game to make him the most complete player.”
Jacas heard his name called 55th overall in this year’s draft, but outside of a brief sideline appearance during rookie minicamp was absent from the Patriots’ offseason program. A left knee injury and subsequent surgery forced him into recovery mode, and the negotiations for his rookie contract to take their time.
When he signed, on the second day of training camp, he was the second-to-last draft selection to do so. His deal also included some unusual safety nets to protect the team should his knee cause availability issues.
Now that the pact is signed and Jacas back on the field after a brief stint on the non-football injury list, however, the sights are set on the future. And the aforementioned eagerness and energy are helping him with that.
“He’s just eager to learn,” said defensive tackle Milton Williams about his young teammate. “He’s happy to be out there, to be competing. He’s a sponge right now. I told him, ‘Just be a sponge, learn as much as you can because we are going to need you this year.’ He’s going to be ready for that challenge but he has to go through his own process as a young player, and keep getting better each and every time he comes out.”
So far in training camp, this process appears to have gone well. While working mostly with the backups coming off NFI, Jacas has steadily increased his workload to a point where he started seeing reps with the starters.
While those have been limited, they have been enough to leave his teammates impressed and showcase the third of the E’s: his explosiveness.
“Really explosive off the edge,” said second-year edge rusher Bradyn Swinson about the 22-year-old. “Real nice dude. Calm dude. He’s been learning everything pretty fast. Built like a freak house, but a good dude. He’s learning everything fast and I’m enjoying him being in the room.”
