Patriots Draft Gabe Jacas, Eli Raridon

0:00On April 25th, the New England Patriots made two smart moves on day two of the 2026 NFL draft Friday night, grabbing Illinois edge rusher. Gabe Jacobs and Notre Dame tied in Eli Raredin. They traded up to the 55th pick, sending away their 63rd, 131st and 200 second picks, then added Raredon at 95. Elliott Wolf, the team's exec VP for player personnel, called Joccas, the top guy left on their board that night. The 22-year-old from Illinois brings wrestling routes that sharpen his hand skills, and he's got a rep for being disruptive on defense. Fans and analysts are buzzing, because the pads needed use on the edge. Harold Landry and Dreymon Jones are hitting 59 combined years old. Next season, Joccas led his team and tackles for loss the last two years, with 35.5 career, plus 27 sacks, perfect to boost their pass. Rush at the just 35 total last year. Meanwhile, Raredin overcame two ACL tears early on, but stayed healthy for his final two

1:04college seasons, hauling in 32 catches for four, 182 yards in 2025. The pads checked him out with a 30 visit and cleared his medicals, no red flags. Pairing him with 31-year-old Hunter Henry gives New England a fresh tied-in duo ready to grow, shoring up the offense long-term while Joccas juices the desolate picks to build around migrable's vision. That's the story for today, NFL News Today, driven by AI.