Athan Kaliakmanis

While LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier remains on the board in a stunning slide, the Commanders have added a new arm to their quarterbacks room in Athan Kaliakmanis. The Rutgers product becomes the eighth passer off the board and the first of the seventh round at No. 223 overall.

Kaliakmanis’ journey started at Minnesota where he spent three years as a Golden Gopher. After redshirting as a true freshman, Kaliakmanis earned his first starting opportunity when usual starter Tanner Morgan went was held out with a concussion. Morgan got injured again two weeks later, and Kaliakmanis took over down the stretch, starting five games and going 3-2 as a starter, including a win in the team’s bowl game. He won the starting job for Minnesota in 2023, and after a 5-7 campaign he transferred to the Rutgers.

Kaliakmanis continued to develop with the Scarlet Knights, improving each year as a passer. After sporting completion percentages of 53.1 and 53.9 in his first two years of full-time starting duties, Kaliakmanis finished 2025 at a mark of 62.2 percent. He also ended his collegiate career with highs of 3,124 passing yards and 20 passing touchdowns in his final season, throwing seven interceptions in each of his final two years of play. Kaliakmanis also demonstrated decent mobility at Rutgers. In 2024, he rushed for 251 yards and three touchdowns.

Kaliakmanis heads to a crowded quarterbacks room in Washington. Jayden Daniels is the clear starter, while Marcus Mariota and Sam Hartman serve as two generations of backups. Kaliakmanis’ production in college may not excite, but the 22-year-old has the physical tools to compete and showed a lot of improvement in his last season of play. He should be granted an opportunity to compete with Hartman for a shot at QB3.