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Stock Rising: Inside LSU safety A.J. Haulcy's NFL Combine splash

On3 imageby: Shea Dixon02/28/26sheadixon

When it comes to making the NFL Combine count, LSU safety A.J. Haulcy didn’t let the moment slip by this week in Indianapolis.

As the dust settles from Friday’s workouts from safeties in the draft pool, Haulcy is one of the players being talked about the most.

On Friday, 10 safeties clocked a sub 4.50 40-yard dash, but Haulcy wasn’t far behind.

The LSU safety clocked a 4.52 40-yard dash, but it was his on-field workouts that turned heads with scouts in attendance – and is likely to push his draft stock up in a big way with NFL teams looking to draft a safety.

His on-field movement – from high-level change-of-direction abilities to consistently clean transitions during drills – was the one of the storylines among the safeties in Indianapolis.

With Haulcy’s blend of experience, solid film at multiple levels of college football, versatility in coverage and the run game, and early reviews from the NFL Combine centered around not just his on-field performance, but his football IQ shining through during interviews with teams, one thing is now certain.

It was a “Stock Up” performance from LSU’s top safety from the 2024 season.

Surprising? Not necessarily.

Haulcy was one of just three LSU players on defense on the field for more than 700 snaps this season, and his 86.6 Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade was second-best on LSU’s defense behind only cornerback Mansoor Delane – who could be a Top 10 pick in this year’s NFL Draft and is widely viewed as a lock to be selected in the first round.

The Lone Star State native began his college career at New Mexico, and he played 643 snaps as a freshman starter before transferring to Houston. In two seasons at Houston, Haulcy started for the Cougars and logged more than 700 snaps in 2023 and 2024. Toss in 702 snaps played this past season at LSU, and Haulcy left college with 2,823 snaps logged – one of the highest numbers among any defensive back in the 2026 NFL Draft pool.

While the conversation once centered around Haulcy being a player to monitor on Day 3 (Rounds 4-7) of the draft, his senior season at LSU, impressive college playing career and great showing in Indianapolis now has draft analysts circling Haulcy as a likely Day 2 selection.

That means he could climb as high as a second-round pick, which wasn’t the view NFL Draft analysts publicly expressed when the college football season ended.