Despite the additions made at the safety spot this offseason by the Indianapolis Colts, adding to this position should remain on GM Chris Ballard's radar heading into the 2026 NFL draft.
The Colts have now signed Nasir Adderly, Jonathan Owens, and Juanyeh Thomas in free agency. Also on the roster is Hunter Wohler, who will also be in the mix for the starting job next to Cam Bynum.
Whether any one of those players can secure the starting role and provide a consistent presence is unknown, but with several players competing for those snaps, the Colts are at least giving themselves options. That uncertainty, however, is also why continuing to add to this room should still be in play.
From Day 2 of the NFL draft and into Day 3, here are five safety prospects who could be of interest to the Colts.
Haulcy is an experienced defender with nearly 3,000 career snaps, spending regular time at both free safety and in the box. He's been a sound run defender by PFF's metrics and has had very good ball production in coverage, logging eight interceptions and 10 pass breakups the last two seasons.
Another experienced safety with over 2,700 defensive snaps played. He was one of PFF's higher graded run defenders at this position and has good ball production as well, with 15 interceptions and 20 pass breakups over four seasons.
At Washington State, most of Gushiken's snaps came from the slot, but at Ole Miss, he was moved around more, regularly playing deep, in the box, and at the nickel. In 2025, Gushiken logged one interception, three pass breakups, and held opponents to a completion rate of 59% on 49 targets. For what it's worth, he graded out well against the run by PFF's metrics. The Colts hosted Gushiken on a pre-draft visit.
Smith played all over the secondary, but most of his college snaps came at free safety. He's played over 700 defensive snaps in each of the last two seasons and is listed at 6-2, 204 pounds. Smith has had good ball production in his career and allowed a career-low 12.1 yards per catch in 2025. Missed tackles, however, have been an issue at times, with Smith recording a missed tackle rate of over 20%, according to PFF.
Taaffe spent most of his college career lined up at free safety. Over three seasons, he's generated seven interceptions and 10 pass breakups. He's done well to limit big plays, holding pass catchers to under 9.0 per reception the last two seasons when targeted. Taaffe's tackling in 2025 was much improved.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: 2026 NFL draft: 5 safeties for Colts to watch