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Falcons QB coach met with Rutgers QB days before draft
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- Falcons QB coach met with Rutgers QB days before draft
The Atlanta Falcons squeezed in one more prospect visit before the 2026 NFL Draft, reportedly meeting with Rutgers QB Athan Kaliakmanis earlier this week. According to SI's Justin Melo, Falcons quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt met with Kaliakmanis on Monday.
"Sources: Rutgers QB Athan Kaliakmanis had a meeting with Falcons QB Coach Alex Van Pelt yesterday," reported Melo . "This is following his meeting with Jaguars QB coach Spencer Whipple. The former Minnesota transfer completed a career-best 62.2% of his passes and threw for 20 TDs in 2025."
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Last season at Rutdgers, Kaliakmanis finished with 3,124 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 62.2 percent of his pass attempts. In 2024, he posted similar stats (2,696 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions) for the Scarlet Knights .
Kaliakmanis began his college career at Minnesota, spending two seasons with the Golden Gophers before transferring to Rutgers. While he's not exactly a dual-threat, Kaliakmanis has some mobility with 459 career rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Falcons have three quarterbacks on the roster, but we wouldn't be surprised if they target one on Day 3 or during the undrafted free agent signing period. The team also met with MSU-Moorhead QB Jack Strand and Georgia Tech QB Haynes King.
Check out each Falcons pre-draft visit and meeting ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft below.
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Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
Offensive Linemen
Defensive line/EDGE
Linebackers
Cornerbacks
Safeties
The 2026 NFL Draft starts on Thursday, April 23. The Falcons will have to wait until Day 2 begins on Friday night to make their first selection. Atlanta has two picks on Day 2 and three on Day 3. Since the team would clearly prefer to have more picks, don't be surprised if GM Ian Cunningham trades down during the draft.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Atlanta Falcons met with Rutgers QB Athan Kaliakmanis
