LSU’s secondary continued to lead the way in its 2026 NFL Draft class Friday.
The Indianapolis Colts selected safety A.J. Haulcy in the third round of this year’s event with the No. 78 overall pick.
Haulcy joined cornerback Mansoor Delane, the Kansas City Chiefs’ No. 6 overall draftee, as the first two Tigers chosen in this year’s class.
got our guy 💥
📺: #NFLDraft April 23-25 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/F5ZRQmEwBC
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) April 25, 2026
Like his teammate, Haulcy arrived to Baton Rouge last offseason via the transfer portal and made a major impact in his lone season in purple and gold.
The 5-foot-11, 215-pound athlete snatched a team-high three interceptions, broke up four passes and finished second on the team with 88 total tackles, including a four-game stretch with double-digit stops, to earn First-Team All-SEC honors and an All-American First-Team selection by Sporting News.
Haulcy began his college career at New Mexico before starting two seasons for Houston and finished with a combined 347 tackles, including 4.5 for loss, and 10 interceptions and 19 pass breakups in 48 games, including 44 starts, between his three stops.
A.J. HAULCY SCOUTING REPORTS
ESPN, via Scouts Inc.:
“Haulcy is a muscle-bound safety who led LSU’s defense with 89 tackles in 2025. He is more of a build-to-speed type of player who shows knockback ability when coming downhill. He is at his best when working in run support, where his strength and physicality show up. In space, however, Haulcy overruns leverage, allowing for cutbacks, and lacks the deceleration and change of direction to recover. In coverage, he is unlikely to win many man-vs.-man matchups at the next level, fitting better in a more zone-heavy scheme. Overall, he is better suited when working in the box rather than patrolling the back half of the defense.”
NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein:
“Haulcy, aka Mr. Give Me That, is a throwback safety with a compact, densely muscled frame and a pro feel for reading the field. He’s a rare blend of ballhawk and enforcer who can scurry into passing lanes for takeaways or run through a receiver to break up a pass. His pattern recognition and instincts are top-notch and he’s decisive in his reactions. A lack of sustained top-end speed could create mismatches in man coverage. He’s more effective playing forward than he is at guarding large spaces in deeper coverages. He’s rock-steady as a finisher but sees the missed tackle total tick higher as an open-field tackler. Haulcy’s frame and game are pro-ready, though. He projects as a good NFL starter in a zone-heavy scheme.”
