Colts selected 'biggest NFL draft steals' on Day 2
The Indianapolis Colts landed one of the biggest steals in the third round of the 2026 NFL draft. Sports Illustrated's Justin Melo highlighted the best value selections and included was safety AJ Haulcy, who the Colts selected at 78th overall. Relative to Arif Hasan's all-encompassing consensus big board, Haulcy was the 56th-ranked prospect.
"Former LSU safety A. J. Haulcy was among the more pro-ready defensive backs in this NFL Draft," wrote Melo.
"He registered more than 300 career tackles while playing at three different programs, including early stints at New Mexico and Houston. Haulcy blends ball-hawking ability (10 interceptions, 19 pass breakups) with an enforcer-like mentality when aligned closer to the line of scrimmage. He'll thrive in whichever role the Indianapolis Colts ask him to play.
" AJ Haulcy will compete for starting snaps at safety for Colts GM Chris Ballard hasn't been shy about making additions at safety this offseason, which includes signing free agents Jonathan Owens and Juanyeh Thomas. Prior to the draft, those two, along with Hunter Wohler, were likely set to compete for the starting role next to Cam Bynum. However, whether any one of those players could provide a consistent presence was still not known, which is why the Colts selected Haulcy, whose skill set allows him to fill a similar role to that of Nick Cross.
Haulcy is an experienced defender with nearly 3,000 career snaps, spending regular time at both free safety and in the box. He's been a sound run defender by PFF's metrics and has had very good ball production in coverage, logging eight interceptions and 10 pass breakups the last two seasons. The addition of Haulcy adds another stout coverage presence to the Colts' secondary.