Grading every Commanders pick from the 2024 NFL Draft
By Dean Jones
Commanders drafted Luke McCaffrey
- Wide Receiver | Rice Owls
- No. 100 overall
The Washington Commanders needed to find another wide receiver or two during the 2024 NFL Draft. Surrounding their new rookie signal-caller with improved options in the passing game gives them the best chance of making a go of things right out of the gate. This was also projected to be an exceptionally deep group for general manager Adam Peters to take advantage of.
There didn't appear to be much urgency to acquire one of the perceived top-level talent. When Peters did strike with the final pick of Day 2 at No. 100 overall, Luke McCaffrey was the choice.
The name should be familiar. His father Ed was a prolific wide receiver and a three-time Super Bowl champion. His brother Christian is an All-Pro running back and arguably the best dual-threat weapon anywhere in the league. That's a ridiculously high bar for which to aim, but there's nothing to suggest McCaffrey cannot carve out a successful career for himself with a little extra refinement.
McCaffrey made the transition from quarterback to wide receiver with instant results. He seemed to be a pass-catching natural and has enough athleticism to suggest further improvements can arrive with more experience.
He might be restricted to slot responsibilities initially. That said, McCaffrey's ability to win contested catches consistently could mean he's deployed in multiple alignments with some extra route-running polish.
Nobody would have complained if Peters went with a wide receiver much sooner than this. That said, he sees something in McCaffrey that might be able to complement what the likes of Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson can bring to the table within Kliff Kingsbury's expansive offensive scheme.
Draft Grade: B
If the Rice prospect needs a little extra time to work on problem areas, then stashing McCaffrey down the depth chart and making him a special team weapon represents a realistic avenue of pursuit.