Colts' Rookie Said to Be a Convincing Breakout Candidate
· Yahoo Sports
One of the Indianapolis Colts' most pleasant surprises in the 2026 NFL Draft was being able to grab LSU safety A.J. Haulcy in the third round.
Haulcy was in consideration for the Colts in Round 2 when they ultimately selected Georgia linebacker CJ Allen, so being able to select two players they were very high on has them feeling incredibly optimistic about their offense moving forward.
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With his talent, the value of getting him in the third round, and the path he has to play as a rookie, many analysts have praised the move.
Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport listed several breakout candidates across the NFL who stood out during the offseason program and whether or not Davenport "buys" or "sells" that they'll have a legitimate breakout in 2026.
Davenport listed Haulcy in his piece and said that he buys the hype.
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"The Indianapolis Colts have a lot of production to replace on defense this year," Davenport said. "Their leading tackler from a year ago, linebacker Zaire Franklin, was traded to the Green Bay Packers, and No. 2 tackler Nick Cross left for Washington in free agency.
"The team used a pair of Day 2 picks to fill those holes, drafting Georgia linebacker C.J. Allen in Round 2 and circling back for LSU safety A.J. Haulcy in Round 3.
"Haulcy was a productive player in college, especially when it came to taking the ball away—so much so that he earned the nickname 'Mr. Give Me That,'" Davenport continued. "With a relatively clear path to a starting role, he should make a sizable dent in his first season.
"And with better coverage skills than Cross, he may well be an upgrade at box safety from the jump."
It's easy to see the path for Haulcy to get playing time and become a starter early as a rookie, as long as he shows he can handle it.
Next to starting free safety Cam Bynum is a spot vacated by Nick Cross, who went to the Washington Commanders in free agency. Second-year player Hunter Wohler is another competitor for that vacant spot, but the Colts may want Haulcy to start next to Bynum and move Wohler around in different spots in sub-packages.
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So far, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is bullish on what he's seen from his rookie when he was asked about Haulcy recently during minicamp.
"I tell you what, you think 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 we had a really good feel for what (Haulcy) was all about. And so far he's come in and exceeded my expectations," Anarumo said.
"Just from a mental standpoint in terms of picking things up, recall. He's not a repeat offender when it comes to a mistake that he may get. He gets football," Anarumo continued.
"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."