Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo talked about why he was so high on linebacker CJ Allen and safety A.J. Haulcy in the 2026 NFL Draft, and what they bring to his defense.
On Wednesday, Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo spoke to the local media for the first time since the 2025 season ended.
Since then, the team's defense has undergone a great transformation, with a focus on getting younger and faster.
Recently, in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Colts used their first two picks on defensive players: Georgia linebacker CJ Allen in the second round (53rd overall) and LSU safety A.J. Haulcy in the third round (78th overall).
Anarumo spent the first several minutes on Wednesday discussing his two new potential star defenders:
On the video that the Colts social media team released, showing Anarumo and the defensive coaching staff celebrating the Haulcy pick:
"Super excited. Like you said, as you saw, the whole group was. He's a guy with speed, a guy with athleticism, has been a good tackler, takes the ball away. He's played really good football for the course of his college career. So, looking forward to getting him here tomorrow."
On how Haulcy's versatility and skillset can help unlock more of what the team wants to do with free safety Cam Bynum:
"Yeah, I think we’ll see how it goes. I think that Cam has the ability to do a number of different things. Hopefully, A.J. does as well. So we just got to see, kind of get around them, find out about them a little bit more. But excited to see what both those guys paired together will be able to do."
On general manager Chris Ballard suggesting the Colts want two starting safeties who can play in multiple spots in the secondary:
"Both. It just makes it that much easier. I think that the way offenses are these days, where they're attacking all parts of the field, you want guys to be able to have the ability to not only cover a short zone, but be able to cover a deep zone and not just say, ‘Hey, he's pigeonholed to doing this one thing.’ I think the more the guys that can do more jobs physically, because that's what it starts with, right? The better we'll be. And I think that we’ve got a chance to have that."
On what he's most excited about with Allen:
"I just think everything about him and his makeup, both on and off the field. Coach (Kirby) Smart down there at Georgia thinks the world of the guy. Has played a ton of football there. He is all about football; the old school gym rat. He just wants to get better at playing football. He's a great leader for them. We're not going to ask him to do all that when he first gets here. We just want to let him be the best version of himself that he can be, and then we'll kind of take it from there. But certainly has a skillset to help us out. And looking forward, as I said, to getting all these guys here tomorrow."
On whether he's ever had a rookie (Allen) with the green dot (player who calls the defense):
"I have not. I think the green dot thing over the years – we'll see how it plays out. It doesn't necessarily have to be a linebacker. I had Vonn Bell, was my green dot in Cincinnati for a year as a safety. So, that part of it, I'm not worried about, you know? We'll figure that part out. If CJ can do it, great. If we feel like it's hampering him a little bit, then we'll give it to somebody else. So really, that's the last thing on my mind. I think that if it's a safety or another linebacker, we'll see, but I got a feeling he's going to be able to do it, though. He did it down there, so he's used to it. That's the good news now, with the guys in college, they have that now. They never had it before, and now they do. So, obviously, over the last couple years. So, I think that will help him."
On whether Allen can unlock more ball production in his game:
"Yeah, I certainly hope so. He's around the ball a bunch. Just getting in a position to get those interceptions, and he's always punching at the ball. You see that on tape, so potentially forcing takeaways and things like that. So, I think that's something that we can hopefully elevate his game to for sure."
On Allen playing quickly and his overall vision for the new-look linebacker corps:
"Well, I think the good news is – well, we're going to just wait and see a little bit. Certainly, CJ, I love the fact that Akeem (Davis-Gaither) is there to kind of help him along the way. They play a very sophisticated defense at Georgia that Coach Smart has obviously – they played great defense for years, but it's a system that requires you to think. So it won't be new to him, which is great, but also having a veteran player next to him that's done it can help ease his stress level a little bit early as we're getting through this thing. So looking forward to that, and we've got great competition. JC (Jaylon Carlies) is finally healthy. We'll see how that goes. (Bryce) Boettcher from Oregon, we got some guys that we can't wait to take a look at."