Commanders WR Luke McCaffrey's Growth 'Rooted in Passion' for Football

Luke McCaffrey, the Washington Commanders' rookie wide receiver, has been incredibly impressive in his first five games, and passion is a big part of why.

Washington Commanders wide receiver Luke McCaffrey (12) picks up yards around Cincinnati Bengals safety Geno Stone (22) Monday, September 23, 2024 at Paycor Stadium. / Cara Owsley/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ashburn, VA. -- Washington Commanders rookie Luke McCaffrey was billed as a big slot receiver with plenty of athletic ability but lacking in polish after playing the position for just two years in college.

It was believed that any team, Commanders or not, would need to develop him and might not get a return on their investment until year two. And because of that, his NFL Draft stock was planted firmly on Day 3 in the fourth round at the earliest.

When the draft weekend came, however, Washington general manager Adam Peters trusted his own evaluations and pulled the trigger on using a third-round pick on McCaffrey, a round where teams typically target prospects they believe could contribute as early as year one. And McCaffrey has rewarded Peters' trust with solid performances in each of his first five NFL games.

Washington Commanders wide receiver Luke McCaffrey (12) picks up yards around Cincinnati Bengals safety Geno Stone (22) Monday, September 23, 2024 at Paycor Stadium. / Cara Owsley/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"I've been with Luke, he hasn't played wide receiver that long, so each day he works his tail off. We track him with GPS and their output and effort and he's always redlining how much he's going at practice to the point where you gotta kind of slow him down," Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury says of his rookie receiver.

McCaffrey is all effort, all the time. Something that comes with the family name as previously displayed by brother Christian McCaffrey (San Francisco 49ers running back) and father Ed who won three Super Bowls during his 13-year playing career that spanned from the early 1990s to the early 2000s. Max McCaffrey also spent time in the NFL playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars and 49ers.

The rookie has displayed that effort in several games as a receiver, but he's also showing up with big-time effort plays in ways that don't show up on the stat sheet. Including coming up with a key chip-block on Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett on a 41-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jayden Daniels to receiver Dyami Brown, and as part of an impressive downfield pursuit team following a 50-yard run by running back Austin Ekeler.

That second play was especially key because Ekeler fumbled at the end of the play, and receiver Olamide Zaccheaus - another member of that offensive pursuit - came up with the recovery. it's a play Washington head coach Dan Quinn says is his favorite of the season thus far.

"We have a great motto, 'Finish Past the Ball,'" McCaffrey attributed that play to. "And I love that that kind of puts into words the message of what we want our culture to be. What we want every single play to be. And it's, 'finish past the ball,' and, 'the ball finds energy,' so between those two quotes, it's been cool to just see that play out in games and see why it matters."

Mottos are great, but it takes buy-in and then players putting energy behind the words to make their value really shine. And as much as those two mottos express the way the entire Commanders receiver group is aiming to play every week, they're the same mottos McCaffrey could use individually for his exceptional development as a quarterback turned receiver less than three full seasons ago.

"I think like it is with everybody on this team. We just love football," McCaffrey said when asked about not only his own growth but the ability of the room to provide Daniels with consistent passing opportunities. "We have a passion for it and we enjoy coming out here every day. And I think when you have an attitude that's rooted in passion, it is easy to be in tenfold and it's easy to love the game."

Of course, McCaffrey and his room aren't doing things alone. None of the players are. The rookie also acknowledges how lucky he's been to have a receivers coach the caliber of Bobby Engram to bring him into the NFL and help get him rolling as quickly as he has.

The opportunity to get reps, and learn from each one, has also contributed, and McCaffrey is second on the team in receiver snaps with 172. Star receiver Terry McLaurin leads the group with 260.

Through five games McCaffrey has caught 10 passes for 98 yards and has earned Washington five first downs with a 60 percent successful play rate.

That production has him on pace to place him fifth in receiving yards and catches among third-round picks in franchise history, and top 20 in both categories among franchise rookies all-time.

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