Fans were excited when the Washington Commanders selected Rice wide receiver Luke McCaffrey in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft. While McCaffrey had only played wide receiver for two years after moving from quarterback, he enjoyed a dominant senior season.
It also didn’t hurt that he was the younger brother of 49ers superstar Christian McCaffrey and the son of three-time Super Bowl champion Ed McCaffrey.
With Washington, McCaffrey had a clear opportunity. Outside of Terry McLaurin, the Commanders lacked a legitimate No. 2 receiver, and this was before they traded former first-round pick Jahan Dotson.
However, McCaffrey’s career hasn’t started as well as many had hoped. The good news is that he’s playing and taking advantage of the opportunities that come his way. Unfortunately, he isn’t receiving many of those opportunities.
Through 13 games, McCaffrey has 16 receptions for 155 yards. It seems like every time McCaffrey makes a catch, it’s at a critical juncture of the game. McCaffrey has 16 receptions — on 20 targets. That means he’s catching 80% of the balls thrown his way.
And he gets open. According to Pro Football Focus, only four players in the NFL create more consistent separation than McCaffrey. PFF data gives McCaffrey a 71.62% separation percentage. McCaffrey has 74 opportunities, and he has created separations on 53 of those routes.
Here’s how PFF defines its separation percentage metric:
Separation percentage measures how often a receiver beats the coverage to get open rather than benefiting from a defense more focused on limiting yards after the catch or stopping them short of the first down.
McCaffrey’s time is coming. No one knows his NFL ceiling, but McCaffrey gets open. It’s only a matter of time for Jayden Daniels and McCaffrey to get on the same page. When they do, McCaffrey’s numbers will rise.