From now until the 2026 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, all the way to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on LSU safety A.J. Haulcy.
No. 13 A.J. HAULCY/ S, LSU (SENIOR) – 6’0”, 222 pounds
Measurements
Player Ht/Wt Hand Size Arm Length Wingspan
A.J. Haulcy 6’0”/222 N/A N/A N/A
40-Yard Dash 10-Yard Dash Short Shuttle 3-Cone
N/A N/A N/A N/A
Broad Jump Vertical Bench Press
N/A N/A N/A
The Good
— Good size and durability
— A ton of starting experience
— Has aligned all over the defense
— Good mental processing and understanding of route combinations
— Gets downhill quickly; effective in the robber role
— Good athleticism and covers a lot of ground
— Impressive history of ball skills and production; gets his hands on the ball
— Good run defender; fills gaps, forces on the edge, sideline to sideline
— Works through traffic well to get to the ball
The Bad
— May not be suited for regular duty as the single high safety
— Gets wide in half field coverage leaving room inside
— QBs can move him with their eyes
— Man coverage is not a strong suit
— In slot, plays well off the receiver leaving easy target
— Inconsistent tackling angles when coming from deep
Stats
— 48 games/44 starts, 4-year starter
— Career: 347 tackles, 203 solo, 4.5 TFL 4 FF, 1 FR, 19 PBU, 10 INT
— 2025: 88 tackles, 49 solo, .5 TFL, 1 FF, 4 PBU, 3 INT
— Played at New Mexico (2022) and Houston (2023-24) before coming to LSU
— 2025 First team All-SEC
— 2024 First team All-Big 12; Phil Steele honorable mention All-American
— 2022 Second team All-Mountain West
— Had 24 tackles in a game in 2023 against Fresno State
— Had a half game suspension to start the 2025 season due to a fight in his final game at Houston
Injury History
— 2025: Battled shoulder injury throughout season
Background
— Birthday: Jan. 10, 2004 (22)
— First team All-State, First team All-District in high school
— 12 interceptions including three pick-6’s as a senior
— Nicknamed “Mr. Give Me That” from coaches due to interception skills
— Describes himself as talented, respectful and underrated
— His sports hero is Aaron Rodgers
— Comes to balance with too much space from runner given them space to cut away
— Ducks into some of his tackles straight downhill
Tape Breakdown
A.J. Haulcy is a safety with good height, very good weight and a boatload of experience. He has 44 starts under his belt and has aligned all over the field including the single high, split safety, robber, box and slot. He has good athleticism and mental processing.
Against the pass from a split safety look, he primarily played to the boundary side. He plays with good depth and has a good understanding of route combinations. His mobility is good and has good range in half-the-field coverage. He can get downfield quickly from depth or as the robber and takes away the underneath route options.
He is very good at reading and reacting to force incompletions.
In the underneath zone, he uses good spacing, athleticism and mental processing to stymie receivers. On screens, he diagnoses quickly and accelerates quickly to blow up the block or make a quick stop. In man coverage, he was solid on tight ends able to stay in phase and hassle their catch radius. As a blitzer, he displays solid timing and good acceleration toward the backfield.
His ball skills are very good. His mental processing allows him to read and flow to the ball, and he is proficient in getting his hands on the ball.
A couple of nice interceptions.
His ball skills included this picture perfect punchout.
As a tackler he is solid overall. His mental processing improved as the season progressed leading to some impressive plays. In space, he plays under control and is good at getting the ball down. Against the run, he will set the edge, come downhill to fill and shows good chase from sideline to sideline.
When playing as the split safety, he gets wide quickly leaving space to the inside. As the single high, his range is adequate and not a strong fit for him. Additionally, he commits to one side early and can be looked off by the quarterback. In man coverage, you don’t want him on a wide receiver. He is often flatfooted and unable to match their cuts. When coming from deep, his angles can get to wide leading to cut back lanes. When tackling in space, he comes to balance a little too far from the ball, leaving space to cut away from him. His form on tackles inside are inconsistent, ducking his head into the ball carrier.
Man coverage is an area he can look to improve.
Here are a few plays where his angle to the ball caused him to be out of position or miss the tackle.
Conclusion
Overall, Haulcy is a highly experienced player both in time and alignment. He has good mental processing, can cover a lot of ground and processes route combinations well. His ball skills and production are very good, and he attacks screen plays. He can cover tight ends, has good timing as a blitzer and supports the run.
Areas to improve include not choosing a side too quickly when playing deep, improving his tackle angles when coming from deep and breaking down closer to the ball carrier. Improving his man coverage techniques and being more consistent with his tackling form will help him as well.
If you like your safeties with ball skills, this is your guy. He did it in high school and college. The more I watched, the more impressed I was with his game. There is a little bit of Minkah Fitzpatrick in his play. His best fit is in a zone heavy scheme in a cover two/cover three/robber role. He can also play in the box to support the run or as a blitzer.
For a player comp, I will give you Andre Cisco. Similar in size, good ball skills, attacks routes underneath and a good athlete. Also had to improve on his angles and had some questions in man coverage.
NFL Projection: Day TwoSteelers Depot Grade: 8.8 (Long-time starter)Grade Range: 8.1 – 9.1Games Watched: 2025 – At Clemson, At Ole Miss, Vs Texas A&M, At Alabama, At Oklahoma
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