One major concern with each Commanders 2024 NFL Draft pick
By Jonathan Eig
Commanders drafted Luke McCaffrey
- Wide Receiver | Rice Owls
- Round No. 3 | No. 100 overall
It wouldn’t be fair to say Luke McCaffrey’s biggest flaw is that he is not his brother. Of course, that's none other than All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, the best all-around weapon in football right now.
I think McCaffrey will be just fine. The only real problem is managing expectations.
He has only been playing wide receiver for a couple of years. Despite his obvious pedigree - he is not only Christian’s brother but is also the son of Ed McCaffrey, a very good receiver for the Denver Broncos in his day - he still has a lot to learn about the nuances of playing outside.
McCaffrey went to Nebraska as a quarterback and still played the position after transferring to Rice. He didn’t transition to receiver until 2022. His background as a signal-caller may pay dividends at some point because he will understand how his quarterback is processing better than most. But it also means he has not perfected the art of route-running.
That can be hard to learn at the NFL level, where the defenders are all strong and fast and capable of dominating receivers who do not run precise routes. Fortunately, with Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson on the outside, and with Austin Ekeler and a couple of quality tight ends inside, McCaffrey can be brought along a little more slowly. This should help his long-term development.
Commanders drafted Brandon Coleman
- Offensive Tackle | TCU Horned Frogs
- Round No. 3 | No. 67 overall
Adam Peters was wise to pass on more physically imposing developmental tackles like Patrick Paul or Roger Rosengarten and wait for a proven player in Brandon Coleman. He may be an inch or two shorter, but he has everything else you would want in an edge protector.
Precious few first-year players can make the jump to NFL left tackle without some hiccups, but Coleman is fairly well-suited for the task. He is a little older, turning 24 years old during the upcoming season, and has a wealth of experience in college.
What’s not to like? When watching Coleman’s tape, his physical prowess is obvious at times. But he doesn’t seem to consistently dominate lesser opponents. This led to him being bypassed for first-team Big 12 honors by four other linemen who were also selected in the year’s draft, including Paul and Dominick Puni.
As with Ben Sinnott, Coleman’s versatility may have hindered his development in college. He played both guard and tackle, and showed occasional technique flaws which led to a high number of quarterback pressures. He needs to be inserted in one position and left there for a while.
The worst thing the Commanders could do with Coleman is move him around a lot. Unfortunately, left tackles in the NFL don’t get training wheels. It’s a hard place to break in. It would not be the worst idea to allow him to play behind Cornelius Lucas, or a yet-unnamed free-agent tackle, for half a season before throwing him out there.