To conclude this year’s preview of the Mason/Brennan Preseason Hype! Award contest, the final instalment takes a look at the Dark Horses and Sleeper candidates.
Front Runners
Chasing Pack
Dark Horses and Longshots
These are the “other guys”, players who for one reason or another are facing an even steeper climb to grab fans’ attention than the players we saw on Day 1 and Day 2.
Some landed here because they are battling to overcome athletic limitations. Others might be facing their last chance to gain roster traction after failing to catch on in previous
seasons. One plays an unglamorous position. And one is more or less a lock to make the team in some capacity. But there is simply not enough suspense about where he’ll land on the depth chart to generate hype.
However they got here, the fact that they made it this far means that there is hope. And that is what the Mason/Brennan contest is really about. For underdog enthusiasts – which, if you are reading this far, you probably are – the most exciting part of training camp and preseason is when a player that nobody heard of or gave a chance emerges from obscurity to put themselves in the final 53 discussion.
In 2012, all the attention was on the owner’s new QB, acquired in the costliest draft trade to that point in NFL history. Nobody expected 6th round pick Alfred Morris, who ran a 4.67 sec 40, to make the roster, let alone earn the starting job. Morris stole some of his celebrity teammate’s spotlight with outstanding performances in the pre-season games, and went on to rush for 1,613 yds and earn second team All-Pro honors in his rookie campaign.
I’m not saying one of these guys is the next Alfred Morris. But you never know what you’ve got until the players take to the field. And every pre-season has its surprises.
Dark Horses and Longshots
CB Fred Davis II, 6th Yr Senior, Northwestern – 2026 UDFA
6-0 | 190 lbs | 32.5” arms | 4.64 sec 40 | 5.61 RAS | Age 24
2025 College Stats: 12 G | 32 comb tkl | 1.05 Y/Cov Snp | 0.4% Run Stop Rate
Hype Potential: 5/10
Where there’s a cornerback, there is hope. All coach-speak aside, the Commanders have made it through the first wave of free agency and the draft without finding a credible solution to line up at outside CB opposite of Trey Amos.
All that Fred has to do to ignite the fanbase is to make a pass breakup in training camp.
Davis has the size and length of an NFL CB. But his Hype Potential is mid-level because his lack of speed could make it challenging to stick with the Commanders’ WRs in camp. Aside from athletic limitations, though, Davis has skillsets to develop as a cover man in a zone heavy scheme. He is a fluid mover, with good short area quickness, and contests the ball aggressively at the catch point. His versatility to play inside or outside might have caught Daronte Jones’ attention.
Is it Just Hype? Fred’s sub-par long speed could be limiting at the pro level. His rate of yardage allowed in coverage at Northwestern was around the 30th percentile of the CB draft class. And despite positive scouting reviews of his run defense, it didn’t show up in his run stop numbers.
DT Jeffrey M’ba, Senior, SMU – 2026 UDFA
6-5 | 316 lbs | 5.13 sec 40 | 4.84 RAS | Age 27
2025 College Stats: 12 games | 42 comb tkl | 7.5 TFL | 5 sacks | 7.6% Pressure Rate | 5.6% Run Stop Rate
Hype Potential: 5/10
I might be going high on the Hype Potential of a 27 year old developmental prospect at Nose Tackle. But M’ba is a powerful big man who knocks blockers backward. He’s got potential to put up some highlight reel plays to set fan forums on fire.
Is it Just Hype? He’s a 27 year old developmental project at Nose Tackle.
S Robert McDaniel – 2025 UDFA
6-2 | 213 lbs | 4.55 sec 40 | 8.60 RAS | Age 25
Hype Potential: 4/10
McDaniel inspired hopes that the Commanders might have unearthed a throw-back Dan Quinn-style safety, with his strong play in run support in the 2025 pre-season. But his coverage had room for improvement. He spent the regular season on the PS without being activated for any games.
After Nick Cross, the Commanders’ safety lineup is just a bunch of guys. There is ample opportunity for a big, hard hitting roster hopeful at safety to get fans excited.
Is it Just Hype? Fans might have forgot he’s still here. Legion of Boom isn’t a thing anymore. The Commanders signed a better player with his skillset in free agency.
TE Quentin Moore, 5th Yr Senior, Washington – 2026 UDFA
6-4 | 244 lbs | 33.5” arms | 4.63 sec 40 | 4.34 RAS
2025 College Stats: 12 games | 5 rec | 83 yds | 63.0 Run Blocking Grade
Hype Potential: 4/10
Moore was used as a blocking tight end by the Huskies. He lacks the athleticism to factor much as a receiver, but he is strong with the arms of an offensive tackle, and he is a competitive blocker in the run and passing games.
His Hype Potential is two-fold. First, he has a nasty streak to finish off defenders. A few highlight clips of Moore grinding linebackers into the ground will be sure to get fans excited. Second will be speculation about why he was signed. Do the Commanders really need a backup for John Bates? Or are they planning to run a lot of 12 and 13 personnel? Now that will get the buzz going.
Is it Just Hype? Moore had a career year as a receiver in 2025, catching 5/6 targets for 83 yds and 1 TD. He is a great blocker, but not much else.
QB Athan Kaliakmanis, Rutgers – Round 7, Pick 223
6-2 | 216 lbs | 4.92 sec 40 | 5.37 RAS | Age 22
2025 College Passing: 12 games | 368 att | 229 comp (62.2) | 11.2 yd ADOT | 3,124 yds | 20 TD | 7 INT
2025 College Rushing: 64 att | 164 yds | 3.7 Y/A | 4 TD | 4 fum
Hype Potential: 3/10
A late round QB flashing potential in camp will always create some buzz.
But the fact that he is competing for the third-string backup QB position sets a low ceiling on Athan’s Hype Potential. There was a time, not too long ago, when a late round QB completing 11/19 passes for 169 yds with 1 TD and 1 INT would convince a desperate fanbase that the savior had arrived. But that is the past.
Athan set numerous school records in two years at Rutgers, after transferring from Minnesota. He drew interest from multiple NFL teams in the draft process, including Top 30 visits with Cincinnati, Las Vegas and Washington.
Athan has a compact motion with a quick release and good arm strength to suit a quick rhythm passing game, which many are expecting from David Blough at OC.
Is it Just Hype? Athan has work ahead of him with the scout team to clean up his ball placement and decision making under pressure.
WR Chris Hilton, 5th Yr Senior, LSU – 2026 UDFA
6-0 | 188 lbs | 4.41 sec 40 | 5.83 RAS | Age 23.5
2025 College Stats: 13 games | 10 rec | 122 yds | 0.81 Y/RR | 7.0% CROE | 16.9 yd ADOT | 3.5 YAC/rec
Hype Potential: 2/10
Hilton might already be over-hyped heading into OTAs. He is a kind of a hype-Rorschach test for Commanders fans.
Those who want to believe see a deep threat WR with tantalizing buildup speed, available for cheap. A more sober assessment reveals a player who is always injured, with modest production in the brief stretches between injuries.
Hilton’s college career was interrupted by three major injuries: meniscus tears in both knees as a freshman, a torn shoulder labrum causing him to miss the final 10 games of his sophomore season, and a complicated ankle injury with protracted healing process which caused him to miss half of his junior season. He achieved peak output despite the injury as a junior, logging 9 rec for 243 yds and 3 TD.
If you take the view that there is not much more for him to break, then he might have potential to stretch the field on deep connections from his former college QB. But his injury history and the lacklustre production suggest some limitations.
Is it Just Hype? If Hilton can overcome the injury bug which plagued his college career, he might realize his potential to develop as an impact player.
WR Jacoby Jones (the younger) – 2025 UDFA
6-1 | 225 lbs | 31.9” arms | 4.69 sec 40 | Age 25
NFL Experience: 1 game, 11 offensive snaps, 7 special teams snaps
Hype Potential: 2/10
You can never rule out a big, slow WR with good hands in the Mason/Brennan competition. Jones made some believers last off-season with his ability to haul in tough catches. But others were surprised when he made the practice squad, after pedestrian production in three pre-season games.
Jones was activated for the Week 11 Miami game and caught his lone target for 25 yds.
Is it Just Hype? He’s not fast, and he’s facing competition from three other big WR roster hopefuls who aren’t fast either, but are faster than he is.
DE T.J. Maguranyanga – 2025 IPP recruit
6-4 | 222 lbs | Age 23
NFL Experience: 11 def snaps in 1 game, no stats
Hype Potential: 1/10
Sammis Reyes taught us to never count out an uber athletic IPP player when it comes to pre-season hype. Magruanyanga is embarking on his second football career with the Commanders, after playing winger in Rugby League at the international level in France and his native Zimbabwe.
Maguranyanga started playing American football last year, and needs to change his body while he learns to play DE. As an IPP player, he costs nothing to keep around. If he generates hype in his second NFL pre-season, we may need to revisit the Mason-Brennan rules, which predate the IPP.
Is it Just Hype? What hype?
OG Tyler Cooper – 2025 Packers UDFA
6-5 | 302 lbs | 32.5” arms | 8.46 RAS
Hype Potential: 1/10
Cooper is an athletic guard who signed with the Packers as an UDFA last season. He spent his rookie season on the Packers’ PS. In the pre-season with Green Bay, he showed good footwork, but also a need to play stronger and more aggressively in the run game.
Is it Just Hype? There is no hype.
