Inside The Star
Every draft, there’s one player I end up defending more than anyone else. This year, that player is Gabe Jacas, and he’s quietly one of my favorite EDGE fits for the Dallas Cowboys.
Jacas is not perfect, but I can already see how he would be used on Sundays. He isn’t showing up on a lot of highlight reels, he’s not a guy people argue about on draft night.
But, when you actually watch him play, you start to understand why he keeps winning snaps. Jacas plays strong, stays disciplined, and finishes more reps than he loses.
Those types of traits matter more than flash once the season grind ends.
What I like most is how his game could translate to the NFL. He is not built on one move or pure speed. If you watch him, he wins with leverage, timing, and all out effort.
Dallas has always been best when the defensive line plays downhill and attacks.
I see Jacas fitting that mindset because he wants to get upfield, make contact early, and force quarterbacks to move.
He is not a player you ask to read the backfield or play in space. You let this man do what he does best, play forward and play physical.
This is a player who doesn’t need to be featured to be effective. He is a lunch pale player who comes to work every snap.
Jacas is comfortable being part of a unit, not the headlines. For a Cowboys team that already has interior talent capable of drawing attention, that is a good thing.
The next Cowboys defensive coordinator could put Jacas next to the outstanding interior players on this team.
Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, and Osa Odighizuwa will make this young man’s job simpler. Guards and centers will be busy, which leaves tackles on islands, and Jacas knows how to take advantage of that situation.
Now, if you were to balance him with a speed presence off the other edge like a Donovan Ezeiruku, protections get uncomfortable.
Slide one way, you’re exposed somewhere else. That is how pressure is supposed to work.
Jacas isn’t chasing sacks on every snap, he will be collapsing space, closing escape lanes, and forcing hurried throws. Those plays add up, even if the box score doesn’t always show it.
He holds up well against the run due to his brute strength and this keeps him on the field. You won’t see him freelance or lose contain trying to make a play.
As a rusher, he keeps coming even if the first move doesn’t work, he counters.
If the pocket shifts, he will adjust. This doesn’t allow quarterbacks to relax because he is still coming after them.
At the combine he will not test like an elite athlete, and I’m fine with that. His game isn’t built on being a freak athlete....
