Commanders take Rutgers QB Athan Kaliakmanis in seventh round

The Commanders have added a fourth player to their quatrerback room in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL draft.

With the 223rd overall pick, Washington selected Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis.

The Commanders have their franchise quarterback in Jayden Daniels and their veteran backup in Marcus Mariota, so Kaliakmanis will likely compete with Sam Hartman for the third-string job.

Kalkiakmanis spent five years in the Big Ten. He started 17 games for Minnesota before transferring to Rutgers in 2024 and starting every game for the Scarlet Knights in 2024 and 2025. He finished his college career with unimpressive statistics — 55.8 percent completion rate with 55 touchdowns and 27 interceptions — but he showed flashes of talent, and the Commanders thought he showed enough to be worth a seventh-round pick, and worth a look this offseason to see if he can earn a third-string job.