The Washington Commanders got themselves a wide receiver on Day 2 of the 2024 NFL draft. With the No. 100 overall pick — the final pick of the third round — the Commanders selected Rice wide receiver Luke McCaffrey.
If that name sounds familiar, it’s because McCaffrey is the younger brother of 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey and the son of former NFL player Ed McCaffrey.
General manager Adam Peters was a part of the San Francisco front office that traded for Christian McCaffrey two years ago.
Luke McCaffrey began his college football career as a quarterback for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. After two years at Nebraska, he transferred to Rice. McCaffrey appeared in nine games at quarterback, making three starts in 2021. In the spring of 2022, McCaffrey moved to wide receiver.
In his first year as a wide receiver, McCaffrey caught 58 passes for 723 yards and six touchdowns. In 2023, McCaffrey caught 71 passes for 992 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Here is NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein’s scouting report on McCaffrey:
Big slot target who comes from high-end NFL bloodlines and who showed noticeable improvement in his second season at the position. Luke lacks the size of his father, former Pro Bowl receiver Ed McCaffrey, and the explosiveness of his brother, Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey, but he catches with soft hands, great focus and extreme toughness. McCaffrey struggles to release and bypass press coverage and might not have enough separation quickness or top-end speed to uncover against NFL defenders. However, with additional time to learn the position and fine-tune his route running, McCaffrey might be able to follow his dad and brother into the league as a possession slot receiver.