The receiver sprinted more than 20 yards up the sideline before cutting inside, his defender trailing as the ball arced toward the middle of the field. With his body horizontal, he stretched his arms, snagged the pass with his gloved fingertips, and secured it as the defender draped over him. The two tumbled to the grass-stained turf, and the crowd roared.
The play was a familiar sight. With a different jersey and a few more inches in height, the player with “McCaffrey” on his back could have been his father, Ed, the former 49ers and Broncos wideout once known as “White Lightning.”
But this was Luke McCaffrey, Ed’s youngest son. His spectacular 50-yard catch for the Washington Commanders against the Los Angeles Chargers was another highlight in a rapidly growing collection. Following in his father’s footsteps, Luke is now an NFL receiver showcasing his own brand of speed and tenacity.
Selected in the third round of the 2024 draft, McCaffrey entered the league with only two years of experience at receiver after a lifetime at quarterback. His rookie season was largely developmental, but his second year has been a breakout campaign. Through Week 5, his 523 combined receiving and return yards rank 10th in the NFL, and his 31.4-yard kickoff return average is third among qualified players.
“He’s a playmaker, man,” said Christian McCaffrey, Luke’s older brother and the 49ers’ All-Pro running back. “He’s, as I like to call him, just a football player. That catch was an example of that—a big situation and the team needed a play. We’ve seen that countless times from him.”
The family athletic pedigree is well-known. The speed is credited to their mother, Lisa, a former Stanford soccer standout, while the love for the game came from Ed. Luke is the third brother to reach the NFL, after Max, a former receiver who is now an assistant coach for the Miami Dolphins, and Christian, a perennial superstar. Dylan, the third-oldest son, was a quarterback at the University of Michigan and for two seasons was Luke’s quarterback in high school.
Until then, Luke had played almost exclusively at quarterback. A four-star recruit, he chose Nebraska over programs like Ohio State and Michigan. After failing to win the starting job, he transferred first to Louisville and then to Rice in 2021. Nine games into his season at Rice, after three starts at quarterback, he decided another change was needed—this time, one of position.
He asked the coaches to move him to receiver.
“I really saw a difference in Luke when he came back,” said former Rice receivers coach Mike Kershaw. “When he came in initially to be the so-called savior of the program by being the quarterback, he just had a lot of pressure on his shoulders. Once he decided to make that change, he could just go be a football player, and I think that’s what he loved doing.”
With only six months to learn a position many wideouts spend years mastering, Kershaw and McCaffrey started from scratch. They studied film of players with similar builds, with Cooper Kupp serving as the primary model. “There are a lot of great, athletic quarterbacks who can’t catch,” Kershaw added. “Obviously, that wasn’t a problem… He probably burned out the JUGS machines at Rice several times.”
McCaffrey also leaned on his family. “My dad helped a lot, my brother Max helped a lot,” he said. “That’s the biggest blessing that I never earned.”
The transition was a success. In 2022, he led Rice with 58 catches for 723 yards and six touchdowns. The following year, he was a first-team all-conference selection and team captain after recording 992 yards and a conference-best 13 touchdowns.
Commanders General Manager Adam Peters, who was a 49ers executive when the team acquired both Max and Christian, drafted Luke 100th overall in 2024, betting on his upside. McCaffrey had proven speed—clocking a 40-yard dash time slightly faster than Christian’s—and a knack for contested catches.
After his rookie year, Luke dedicated his offseason to a physical transformation. He spent months training with Christian, working with sprint and strength coaches. “When you play quarterback your whole life, you train a certain way,” Christian explained. “This is the first real offseason he’s had… to see just the way his body changed was awesome. He was putting more force into the ground, he was getting faster, getting stronger.”
The Commanders’ staff noticed immediately. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury described the difference as “night and day.” The team challenged McCaffrey to become a more technical route runner, a better blocker, and a versatile player capable of lining up anywhere. “He absolutely attacked it,” said receivers coach Bobby Engram.
During training camp, with starters Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown sidelined, McCaffrey took first-team reps and expanded his repertoire. The results have been undeniable this season. He delivered a key block on a touchdown in Week 1, caught his first career touchdown in Week 3, and added a second in Week 4.
But it’s the hustle plays that have most impressed head coach Dan Quinn. After a touchdown catch in Atlanta, McCaffrey made a tackle on the ensuing kickoff, earning a shout-out in a team meeting. The following week against the Chargers, after his 50-yard reception, he threw a crucial block to spring a 27-yard run, which Quinn again highlighted to the team.
For McCaffrey, these all-around contributions fulfill a long-held desire. “One of the big things I said to myself when I switched positions is I just want to be a football player,” he said. “At quarterback, you’re more of a scientist. A big thing for me was just being able to go run, be able to hit people, be able to do all that stuff that a football player does.”
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