Jeff Driskel dropped back in the pocket as rain drenched him and the rest of the Washington Commanders during the first practice of OTAs, with rookies and veterans on the field together. He spotted his target through the downpour, reared back, and fired the ball toward the end zone.
His man was rookie wideout Luke McCaffrey, who had slipped behind third-year safety Percy Butler. McCaffrey reached for the pass near the back of the end zone, secured it, and then slid out of bounds. He held the ball aloft as the referee signaled a touchdown, flexed as he jogged to the sideline, and celebrated with tight end Zach Ertz.
The play was one of the highlights of practice, but it wasn’t the only impressive moment McCaffrey has had since joining the team. While much of the attention has been focused on No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels, McCaffrey has consistently stood out and might be playing his way into a more significant role in the offense.
“I really like his story,” offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said of McCaffrey. “He dealt with some adversity, and he kept fighting. And he loves football, like, loves it. He doesn’t care if he plays quarterback, running back, whatever. He just wants to play. And that’s fun to be around.”
All draft picks are gambles to a certain degree, but general manager Adam Peters was confident in his decision to take McCaffrey with the 100th overall pick. Peters was part of the San Francisco 49ers’ front office that traded for McCaffrey’s brother, Christian, and he knows another brother, Max, from his own stint with the 49ers.
Choosing a player with strong athletic genes from both parents certainly helps, but Peters also received some endorsements from Christian himself.
“I got a little encouragement from his brother,” Peters said with a smile. “I didn’t need it, I can tell you that right now. I didn’t need it. Just watching him ascend from Nebraska and seeing what he did there was actually really fun. It was fascinating to see his evolution at every step, culminating in an outstanding performance at the Senior Bowl.”