Colts draft S A.J. Haulcy - Round 3, Pick 78
 

https://x.com/MySportsUpdate/status/2047858584747438229

https://x.com/ZachHicks2/status/2047859620895440991

https://x.com/ZachHicks2/status/2047864461306855856

Below is the Ringer's scouting report. They had him ranked 47 on their Big Board.

https://theringer.com/nfl-draft/2026/big-board#content

I’m calling bullshit on this, they got younger for sure but how the fuck did they get faster?

Nick cross ran a 4.3

Haulcy ran a 4.52

CJ Allen 4.5

Franklin 4.6

So obviously you get “younger “ by drafting players

Like this pick much more than Allen.

I think that Hicks’ comment about getting faster is exhibit 1 for the importance of solid punctuation skills. My impression is that he’s saying that Allen is faster than Franklin.

Agreed

I don't love his tackling form but he's aggressive.

The kid has LB like size. He adds versatility and definitely will play a big nickel role, at the very least.

Play speed is so different from 40 time. If you want to know who's game fast, look at the top speed data from the combine drills.

Did more research and I really like this pick now.

Seems like Lou wants all the guys that play in the middle of the field to be interchangeable.

Haulcy is probably an upgrade on Cross for this defense.

Anarumo and crew's reaction to getting Haulcy:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/P3eN_dKTpF8

Looks like they were holding their breath he would be there. Nice find

After watching Haulcy more, I'm a lot more excited about this pick. I'm not saying he'll be as good as either of these players, though I hope he is, but watching his film, his coverage reminds me of Antoine Bethea, and his run support and hit power remind me of Bob Sanders.

I respect your knowledge of college players and your breakdowns of them but nobody I mean nobody can even compare to Bob Sanders, he was 1 of 1.

I’m no expert but from what I’ve seen of Haulcy he reminds me of Mike Adams which is fine.

Look at his takedown of Le'Veon Moss and tell me that isn't reminiscent of Bob Sanders's eraser days. I'm not saying Haulcy will be as good, though I certainly hope he is, I'm just saying that element of his game is similar.

Also Haulcy is nothing like Mike Adams. Adams had no enforcer to his game, and was primarily a coverage safety. Haulcy is good in zone coverage, but you don't want him in man against a WR or some of the better receiving TEs in the NFL. What you want Haulcy doing is playing either deep half or short zone or man coverage, such as the underneath zone in Cover 1 Robber, reading the QB, and using his physicality to support the run game and make receivers think twice about MOF routes, which is Anarumo's defense is looking for from its SS.

I don’t know about Haulcy but 100 percent agree with you on Bob. In his prime, there was nobody better. Nobody. He was the best I ever saw, and that includes Ed Reed and Palmolive.

Bob is my favorite Colt of all time, and for the pure impact each player had on the game when healthy, I would agree with you. But as a pure safety, Reed was better. Sean Taylor would've been better than all of them had he not died.

If he wins DPOY I’ll personally buy and mail you a Haulcy jersey

Those guys were better because they played longer careers. There was nobody who elevated a defense like Sanders. One man took that defense from run of the mill to exceptional. It was an amazing thing to see

Not only run if the mil… a historically bad run defense.

He played 1 full season and won DPOY at 5-8 in a game of giants

I said an aspect of Haulcy's game reminds me of Bob. If he wins DPOY ever, I'm sure that will be a fun season.

Again, Bob is my favorite Colt of all time, and from a pure impact on their team perspective, I agree that was the best of those players. Ed Reed was different in coverage, though, and he was nearly as physical as Bob.

I'll put it this way: for what that Colts team needed, Bob Sanders was the better player than Ed Reed. If I'm starting a team and can pick one of the two players to put on it in their prime, I'd take Ed Reed.

Ed Reed had the luxury of playing with the greatest MLB I’ve ever seen. Leaving him to focus on coverage for the most part. Bob was the tone setter, he changed everything by himself, a 1 man fucking wrecking crew. He made the other 10 guys on the field and the 50k fans confident

o


Colts’ Rookie Safety Has Exceeded All Expectations Thus Far

(By Noah Compton)

https://www.si.com/nfl/colts/onsi/co...tions-thus-far



Rookie defensive back A.J. Haulcy is the leader-of-the-pack as the Colts break for summer, and although that was the hope after he was drafted, he's exceeded expectations entirely through the spring.

2nd-year DB/LB hybrid Hunter Wohler presents an intriguing option in the Colts' safety room as someone who can play from the box, and veteran safety Juanyeh Thomas is more the free-range defender of the two.

Wohler and Thomas have strengths to pull from, but it's Haulcy's combination of ball-skills, versatility, and durability that separates him from the bunch.


Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo's Early Impression


Haulcy was very productive at the college level, logging 10 INT's, 203 tackles, 19 passes broken up, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 4 forced fumbles in 48 games played.

His instincts on the gridiron led to such production, and although the Colts' coaching staff was excited to see that translate, what Haulcy has shown in a short time as an NFL defensive back has them convinced that they made the right call in drafting him.

“I'll tell you what, you think that you know a guy and you go through the process and I think we, not only the coaches, but Chris (Ballard) and his staff, we thought that we had a really good feel for what he was all about. And so far, he's come in and exceeded my expectations ...... just from a mental standpoint in terms of picking things up, recall," Colts' defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said about Haulcy's first impression.

"He's not a repeat offender when it comes to a mistake that he may get. He gets football. Like he has a really good feel for subtleties of the game that maybe a guy as a rookie doesn't have. So, I'm excited about where his upside can go.

Anarumo isn't going to hand over a starting job to a rookie just because, especially considering his history of prioritizing veteran experience. Haulcy will have to continue earning his stripes throughout the summer, but this is a fantastic first step regardless.


Cam Bynum's Takeaway


The Colts' free-safety spot is locked up for the foreseeable future with veteran Cam Bynum leading the defensive backfield. He has quickly become the leader of the Colts' back-end, both vocally and by example.

Whoever ends up starting alongside him back deep will inevitably require some pointers along the way, and Bynum both understands and welcomes the assignment.

When it comes to rookie safety A.J. Haulcy, Bynum couldn't be more impressed with how he's operated thus far.

"Yeah, first day of practice, he had a one-hand snag pick on an over route and snatched it out of the air. So, I think what he's been doing so far ...... learning the defense, sitting next to me in film ...... I'm able to get a lot of knowledge from him. Then vice-versa, I'm able to give whatever I can to him." Bynum explained his thoughts on Haulcy's introduction to the league.

"And just from the whole room, I think that everybody's been embracing all of the rookies, but especially AJ ...... so, I think that he's been doing a really good job. He's operating like a vet."

So, not only has Haulcy quickly proved to be the on-field talent that his college-film suggested, but he's operating like a seasoned vet, showcasing a much-needed mindset for a potential rookie starter.

We'll have to wait until the pads come on during training camp later this summer to really see what he's got up his sleeve ...... but so far, A.J. Haulcy has positioned himself nicely, thanks to a near picture-perfect spring showing.

o

o


Colts' Safety A.J. Haulcy Expected to Start

(By Connor Byrne)

https://www.profootballrumors.com/20...ected-to-start



The Colts added safety Camryn Bynum in free-agency in 2025, but they lost his running mate when Nick Cross left on the open market this year. It now appears that the Colts will rely on a rookie to replace Cross in 2026 ...... 3rd-round draft pick A.J. Haulcy is the clear favorite to start alongside Bynum, according to Stephen Holder of ESPN.

A few weeks before the draft, it appeared that the Colts were preparing to stage a safety battle consisting of 2 inexpensive free agent pickups ...... Jonathan Owens and Juanyeh Thomas ...... and 2025 7th-rounder Hunter Wohler. But when Haulcy was still on the board at No. 78 overall, Colts GM Chris Ballard couldn’t pass on the former New Mexico, Houston and LSU standout. The decision looks promising so far, as Haulcy has gotten the vast majority of 1st-team work in practice and impressed Colts coaches, per Holder.

Haulcy, a ball-hawk who earned the nickname “Mr. Give Me That” in high school, joined the Colts with significant college experience on his resume. He combined to play 48 games in 4 years for 3 different schools, including 12 in his lone LSU season in 2025. The 6-foot, 215-pounder, who collected between 74 and 98 tackles in each season, ended his college career with 19 passes defensed, 10 INT's and four forced fumbles. Haulcy picked up a 1st-team All-America nod and 1st-team All-SEC honors at LSU, where he racked up 88 tackles, four PD's and three INT's.

Along with posting excellent production in college, Haulcy showed off valuable versatility. The majority of his snaps came at free-safety, but he also amassed over 1,000 as a box-safety and just under 300 in the slot. In that way, he is similar to Cross, who lined up all over the Colts’ defense during his 4-year run with the team.

Last season, his 2nd as a full-time starter, Cross played 551 snaps as a box-safety, 279 at free-safety, 150 in the slot, and 102 around the line of scrimmage. He gave the Colts a productive chess piece, one they had interest in extending before free-agency, but parlayed that into a raise in Washington on a 2-year, $14M deal. Several weeks after losing Cross to the Commanders, the Colts may have drafted an ideal replacement in Haulcy.

o