A.J. Haulcy Scouting Report

A.J. Haulcy has a nice combination of being a violent enforcer on run plays, but can also drop into coverage and become a ball hawk on passing downs.

Draft Grade: Round 2 - Winning Starter

Strengths:

Tackling/Physicality: Haulcy has many high-level traits within his play as a run defender. When playing as a deep safety, Haulcy does a good job of triggering downhill and running the alley to line up with the ball carrier properly. He does a good job of breaking down and not overrunning plays. On contact, Haulcy shows that he is a violent, enforcing tackler who can knock the ball loose from ball carriers or knock them back; Haulcy has good tackling power. In the run game, Haulcy is a physical tone-setter who has good overall range.

Instincts in Zone Coverage: Haulcy is a plus-level zone defender. He shows good overall route/play recognition and the ability to make impact plays. From depth, Haulcy can read the quarterback's eyes and then trigger and close to the receiver to make a play on the football for an interception, pass deflection, or even a big hit to knock the ball loose. Haulcy has good overall ball tracking, being able to track the deep ball and come down with it. He has sideline-to-sideline range, giving him the ability to play as the single-high safety.

High Motor/Effort: High energy and effort are a part of Haulcy’s football profile. His ability to flow sideline to sideline with intensity allows him to be an impactful player and helps set a defensive standard. In the NFL, Haulcy can be projected to be a physical presence playing in the box against the run, or his energy can be used to be a ballhawk on the back end of the defense playing from depth as a free safety.

Concerns:

Length: Haulcy lacks overall arm length, which could lead to difficulties being disruptive against bigger-bodied receivers. Receivers with good length and a large catch radius could use that length to go up and get the football over Haulcy.

Lower-Body Tightness: Haulcy shows some hip stiffness when asked to transition or change direction quickly. This lower-body tightness can lead to him being a step slow when reacting to sudden breaks in routes or when he has to flip his hips to run vertically with speedier receivers. While his instincts often compensate for this, it may limit his effectiveness in man-to-man coverage at the next level.