The Colts selected AJ Haulcy with their third round pick in this year’s draft.
The player is fascinating, but the use of resources on a safety is even more fascinating to me.
I was shocked that they decided to address the safety position with their limited resources in this year’s draft— but I really shouldn’t have.
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Lou Anarumo’s scheme is not just a departure from the defenses of Ballard’s past, it’s totally changed how they’ve acquired players.
Matt Eberflus, and particularly Gus Bradley, structured their fronts and their defenses to where the front was expected to get home with four, while they dedicated resources to clogging up zones.
Lou Anarumo’s defense is different. No defensive coordinator is ever going to turn down stud pass rushers, but Anarumo is eyeing chess pieces in his secondary that he can deploy all over the field.
He wants to build a defense that forces the QB to hold the ball, while he takes advantage of pass protection schemes with simulated and creeper pressures.
Last year we saw players like Nick Cross and Cam Bynum rush the QB as much as any safety in the league. That will continue with AJ Haulcy.
Because AJ Haulcy is not your average defensive back. When you look at his build, you immediately think he’s a traditional box safety. But he can cover and he has strong play recognition/ball skills that let him make plays on the ball.
A lot of explosive plays come from the scramble drill. That’s why players like Mahomes and Josh Allen are in a tier of their own. While extending plays for a QB isn’t a requirement to be good, it’s how you separate yourself in a tier of your own. And that’s because a good scramble drill is so hard to stop.
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What’s impressive on this rep is the ability to recognize the drive concept as the deep safety, slow down in order to nail on the basic, but then see the QB bail and be able to close on the ball.
He’s able to track the tight end bail to the sideline while watching the QB the entire way.
This is one of my favorite plays because of the closing speed after Haulcy triggers on the ball. The analysis in the tweet is absolutely correct. There is no need to be throwing this ball and the coverage from the corner is great. But either way, Haulcy is all over this.
He is squatting on the on the glance the entire way. DJ Lagway starts the rep by glancing to the field to try and move Haulcy off his spot but not only does Haulcy not budge, he is breaking on this ball before Lagway can even start his throwing motion.
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He covers a full 7 yards of ground from the break phase of the route, and then accelerates through the catch point.
Haulcy has the ability to be a tone setting hard hitter, but his down to down tackle consistency is lackluster. He’ll have to improve that element of his game. The good news is that he has the size and play strength to do so.
BOTTOM LINE
Haulcy is clearly a player this staff believes in and I think Lou Anarumo and the DB braintrust in Indy can maximize his skillset. He is clearly smart and cerebral and those things traditionally translate.
Similar to CJ Allen, he may never develop into a top tier player at his position in the league, but he has a skillset you want to bet on.
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His ball production can take him far, but he’ll have to become more well rounded in order to reach his ceiling. He doesn’t have much aforementioned sack production despite being mugged up at times in their sub fronts. He has the physicality to play the run and certainly has reps of being a hard hitting safety, but he also has a decent amount of misses.
Despite some of the limitations, the ball production with that size and build is very intriguing and well worth the selection.
What’s more interesting is the fact the Colts would draft a safety that high in the first place, despite being stubborn in refusing to draft for need.
But ultimately Haulcy is the chess piece they think they need to field a secondary that can keep opposing QBs off schedule, which they clearly believe is just as, if not more, important as having a dominant pass rush.
