Colts selected LSU S A.J. Haulcy with the No. 78 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

25 April 2026

Haulcy (6’0/215) is a throwback box safety whose instincts and trigger let him play faster than his timed speed, piling up 89 tackles, nine havoc plays, three interceptions and four PBUs in 12 games for LSU. He was one of the Tigers’ tone-setters on the back end, showing up as a downhill enforcer with an 82.4 percent tackle rate, plus the vision to undercut throws and bait quarterbacks into mistakes. In coverage, Haulcy allowed 18 catches on 31 targets for 213 yards and one touchdown, adding a 19.4 percent forced incompletion rate with a solid 34.3 NFL passer rating allowed, though his 58.1 percent completion rate conceded shows he can be stressed when isolated in space. His testing profile fits the tape in the middle of the field with 32.5-inch arms and good-not-great speed (4.52s, 86th percentile) but no elite recovery burst, which shows up when bigger windows open against man-match assignments. Haulcy’s best work comes playing forward, where his route recognition, timing and contact courage allow him to erase in-breakers, rob crossers and finish through the catch point like an extra linebacker. The NFL projection is a quality starting strong safety or big nickel in a split-safety structure, with his value tied to instincts, toughness and ball production rather than true range or man-coverage versatility.