ESPN predicts LSU safety AJ Haulcy’s landing spot in 2026 NFL Draft
LSU safety AJ Haulcy is widely regarded as a top-100 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Here’s where ESPN predicts he will go when April rolls around:
As the 2026 NFL Draft draws closer, mock drafts have begun to expand, giving fans a better look at what their team might do on Day 2 — or, in this case, where college fans’ former stars might land at the next level. LSU football is expected to have one marquee name taken in the first round: cornerback Mansoor Delane, who has been mocked to go anywhere from the fifth pick to the 12th. Beyond Delane, however, things begin to get uncertain.
Safety A. J. Haulcy is expected to go in round two or three, but where exactly he lands between pick 33 and 96 remains a huge unknown.
ESPN gave Tiger fans an early prediction Thursday morning, however, putting together a three-round mock draft that included rotating selections from Mel Kiper Jr. , Matt Miller, Jordan Reid and Field Yates. Yates was the one to take Haulcy off the board, sending the former Tiger up north to Pittsburgh.
“Pittsburgh has long had room for physical safeties with plus ball skills,” Yates wrote. “Haulcy fits that bill with crunching strength and eight interceptions over the past two seasons. ” Mocking Haulcy to the Steelers is a bit of a curious choice.