The Commanders selected Kaliakmanis in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 223rd overall. The 6-foot-2, 216-pound QB recorded a 38:14 TD:INT over the last two years at Rutgers after transferring there from Minnesota. Kaliakmanis is a non-factor as a runner, as he rushed for minus-26 yards in 2025 and logged a 4.92-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He's expected to compete with Sam Hartman for the third spot on Washington's QB depth chart behind Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota
Editor’s note: Each day, Hogs Haven compiles a collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, with a sprinkling of other stuff. Enjoy! Sign up for a user account and get: Fewer ads Create community posts Comment on articles, community posts Rec comments, community posts New, improved notifications system! Sports Illustrated Philip Hughes : When Washington drafted you, what was the first thought that went through your mind once the moment settled in? Athan Kaliakmanis: When I got drafted, the first thought that went through my mind was my appreciation for God. It was an appreciation of my journey as a whole, and I was just thankful God was with me on every step of my journey. I was then thankful for my family and just grateful I got to experience that moment with them. It was a collective effort. Philip Hughes : You said after the draft that you wanted to be a Commander. What was it about this team, this staff, or this situation that made Washington feel like the right place for you? Athan Kaliakmanis: Washington felt like the right place for me for a number of reasons. I felt like after my visit, I really wanted to play for the coaching staff in Washington. I loved the area and the experience the entire coaching staff had as a whole. I also thought it would be a great opportunity to learn from a group of very talented NFL quarterbacks. I couldn’t have asked for a better situation. To read more of this article, CLICK HERE Bullock’s Film Room (subscription) The good news for Washington is a switch to more zone runs suits Croskey-Merritt perfectly. In fact, one of my concerns with Croskey-Merritt when he was drafted was his fit with Kingsbury’s preference for gap scheme runs. In college, Croskey-Merritt ran almost exclusively zone run schemes, so I wondered how he’d fare in a different system. Overall he did well under Kingsbury, but during the middle of the season, we did see times where he lacked discipline with gap scheme runs. There were times in his rookie year that Croskey-Merritt made back side cuts work and picked up nice gains, but when he started to go hunting for big plays a little too often, he saw his workload reduced quite a bit over the middle part of the season. But when he started to earn more snaps later in the year, he did show more discipline. That discipline will be important for him in his second year because the zone scheme does require discipline, but it also provides some flexibility that suits his running style. In the zone scheme, the offensive line isn’t blocking to open up a specific gap, but rather it’s looking to use horizontal movement of the offensive line to create vertical lanes for the back to cut into. The running back can cut into just about any available lane he wants to, but the key is to make one cut and be decisive with it. Croskey-Merritt showed in college and at times last year how effective he can be in the zone scheme. Commanders Roundtable The 34 year old has been nearly a lifelong Charger after spending all but one of his 12 NFL seasons with the organization, totaled over 11,300 receiving yards and 63 touchdowns during his time in San Diego then Los Angeles . His lone season elsewhere materialized in 2024 where he started in all 15 games he was available for the Chicago Bears , finishing second on the team with 744 receiving yards along with a team-high seven touchdowns. Yet the production dropped in 2025 for the six-time Pro Bowl selection after starting in only three of the 17 games he was available in Los , amassing shy of 800 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 81 catches and 122 targets. Fowler also noted that “nothing is going on” with Allen as of late with the front office doing its due diligence. The question for Allen would be not only how productive he could be, but how he fits into the current wide receiver room. While he showcased himself as an out
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Head coach Dan Quinn of the Commanders noted that WR Van Jefferson has been standing out during offseason workouts. The team is practicing in a split-group format to evaluate depth, giving more reps to players like Athan Kaliakmanis, Sam Hartman, and Sonny Styles. Quinn highlighted Styles's defensive understanding and compared his communication to Jayden Daniels's backfield operations. The focus on depth is a key goal after last season
Editor’s note: Each day, Hogs Haven compiles a collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, with a sprinkling of other stuff. Enjoy! ESPN Tackles 1. Sonny Styles , Washington Commanders: 123 2. Arvell Reese, New York Giants : 116 3. CJ Allen, Indianapolis Colts : 94 T-4. Caleb Downs , Dallas Cowboys : 82 T-4. Dillon Thieneman, Chicago Bears : 82 Shaquille Leonard ’s 163 tackles in 2018 are the most by a rookie over the past decade, though he is one of only four rookies (all picked in the first two rounds) to reach 125 during the span. In fact, zero rookies reached 100 tackles in 2023 or 2024 prior to three ( Carson Schwesinger , Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter ) hitting that total in 2025. Styles’ projection is a big one, as 122 would be sixth most among rookies over the past decade. The large number isn’t by accident, as the No. 7 overall pick is expected to replace Bobby Wagner as a near-every-down player in the middle of Washington’s defense. Reese (No. 5 overall) was selected before Styles, but his role (is he more of an edge or an off-ball linebacker?) is a little less clear. Considering the underwhelming state of the Colts’ off-ball linebacker room, Allen has a path to a full-time role as a second-round pick. The most tackles by a rookie safety over the past decade is 147 by Jalen Pitre in 2022. Only 12 others reached 80 during that span, with three hitting 100. First-rounders Downs and Thieneman are positioned as every-down starters in Dallas and Chicago, respectively. Both should put up solid tackle numbers in Year 1. Sports Illustrated Athan Kaliakmanis, QB, Washington Commanders It was a little surprising to see the Washington Commanders select quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis in the seventh round . Such late-round picks are dart throws, but he feels like a known asset after making 42 college starts. Marcus Mariota is among the better backup quarterbacks in the NFL behind Jayden Daniels . Will the Commanders carry three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, or will Adam Peters attempt to sneak Kaliakmanis onto Washington’s practice squad? He makes full-field reads with mechanics, but maintaining poise under pressure has been an issue. Heavy.com While Washington brings backup Marcus Mariota back for a 3rd season on a 3rd consecutive 1-year contract to play behind Daniels, they showed they don’t have as much confidence in their 3rd quarterback spot, occupied by popular reserve Sam Hartman the last 2 seasons. The Commanders drafted Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis in the 7th round (No. 223 overall) of the 2026 NFL draft — a move that seems to show they’re keen to move on from Hartman. “Jayden Daniels is the runaway No. 1 QB, Marcus Mariota the clear No. 2,” ESPN’s John Keim wrote . “Kaliakmanis enters after that, as he must unseat Sam Hartman for the No. 3 job. Hartman struggled last preseason, and Washington clearly views Kaliakmanis as someone who can win the job. He is also a good fit in new coordinator David Blough ’s play-action system. The question is whether Kaliakmanis is able to develop into a No. 2 option, but we’ll have to wait a couple years to answer that.” View Link The Commanders essentially showed they have zero faith in Hartman at the end of the 2025 regular season when, having already been eliminated from the playoffs, they decided to bring in journeyman quarterback Josh Johnson to start 2 games late in the season with both Daniels and Mariota out. If Hartman didn’t know the Commanders’ offensive system after 2 years playing there, there’s some question as to why they would even be keeping him on the practice squad, where he’s been parked most of the last 2 seasons. Commanders.com Kaliakmanis is joining the Commanders’ roster with no mystery about his role. Jayden Daniels is the undisputed starter on the team, and Marcus Mariota is the primary backup. Kaliakmanis is here to c
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The Commanders selected Kaliakmanis in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 223rd overall. Kaliakmanis was a full-time starter at Minnesota in 2023 before transferring to Rutgers for his final two seasons. As a fifth-year senior, Kaliakmanis completed 52 percent of his passes for 3,124 yards, 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions while connecting on 28 passes for 20-plus yards. He didn't add much with his legs and likely won't in the NFL after running a 4.92 40-yard dash at his pro day. Still, Kaliakmanis has a good enough arm to give him a strong chance to earn the No. 3 quarterback job behind Jayden Daniels (elbow) and Marcus Mariota
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