Background
AJ Haulcy attended Fort Bend Marshall High School in Missouri City, Texas, where he was a three-star defensive back recruit. He committed to New Mexico and appeared in all 12 games with 9 starts as a freshman, earning Second-Team All-Mountain West. In 2023, he transferred to Houston and took part in 12 games for the Cougars. The following year, as a junior in 2024, he became one of the Big 12's top defensive players, leading the conference with 5 interceptions and earning First-Team All-Big 12 recognition. He transferred once more to LSU for 2025 and finished in the top three on the team in both tackles and interceptions while earning First-Team All-SEC. Career totals across four seasons at three schools: 347 tackles, 10 interceptions, 19 passes defended, and 4 forced fumbles. He declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Physical Attributes
Haulcy is the safety version of a fire hydrant. Not very tall, he carries a lot of weight, and does so well. The best part is he is not afraid to throw that weight around and can lay the wood on receivers. Fluid in his movements, I graded his combine workout as an 8.33 out of 10. He has top-end speed, but in his play style rarely shows it. That short area quickness lets him down and could be transformative if got it to an above-average level.
Data and Tape Analysis
If you are unfamiliar with my S radar charts, you can find more information here
That radar chart as a 21-year-old in the SEC, in your first season in the SEC at that, is a great sign. Haulcy is a decent all-rounder who will most likely play most of his snaps as a deep free safety in the NFL, much like he did in his final year of college.
Throughout his career, though, Haulcy has played 1030 snaps in the box and 1383 as a free safety, adding 369 as a corner. The main reason I said he should play free safety more often is that I am not a fan of his man-coverage abilities. That lack of agility really shows up and does not reward his good anticipation at all. Now, not that he should never do it, but against more fluid or athletic route runners, he will probably struggle early on.
In zone coverage, the amount of ground Haulcy can cover is impressive. Even with a slow first step, and good, not great, anticipation, Haulcy makes plays. In zone coverage on 21 targets, he has 3 PBUs and 2 INTs. That shows the splash play side of his game, but on the 15 receptions of those 21 targets, he allowed 84 YAC. If he does not make the big play, he probably is not making the tackle either, and if he is the last player back, good night. He missed nearly 19% of tackles in zone coverage.
As a tackler in run defense, things look the same. He is strong and loves to throw his whole body into the effort, but relying on power over technique is a losing proposition in the NFL. An NFL opponent will probably overwhelm him, much like the tight end from Clemson did when he ran him over.
Grade and Outlook
If Haulcy can continue to develop and refine the roughness of his game, there are a lot of traits to like. His mental acuity as a safety is sound, but he really needs to refine the more technical aspects of his game. While he might frustrate, his big-play ability will endear him to a fan base.
Grade: 5.9 (2nd Rounder)
