Athan Kaliakmanis heard his name called late in the draft, going 223rd overall to the Washington Commanders.
Kaliakmanis brings a live arm and a fearless mentality to the NFL. During his time with Rutgers, he showed real growth, pairing improved accuracy with a willingness to stand in the pocket and take hits. He took command of a Rutgers offense that struggled for years prior to his arrival.
After transferring from Minnesota, where flashes of potential never quite turned into consistency, Kaliakmanis exceeded expectations at Rutgers in the 2024, 2025 seasons. He became more decisive, more poised, and was accurate downfield completing over 62% of his passes for the Scarlet Knights.
Now he lands in Washington as a developmental quarterback with real upside. If he can harness that arm talent and continue the trajectory he found on the banks the Commanders may have uncovered another late-round gem, following the recent paths of former Rutgers standouts Isiah Pacheco and Kyle Monangai.