Why Commanders' Luke McCaffrey became a WR like his dad, not a RB like his brother Christian

Billy Heyen

Why Commanders' Luke McCaffrey became a WR like his dad, not a RB like his brother Christian image

The McCaffrey family certainly has an athletic family tree.

The genes were good when father Ed was in the NFL as a wide receiver, and with son Christian in the NFL as a running back.

Christian's brother Luke is beginning to make a name for himself, too. He's a WR like his dad, not a RB like his brother.

There's a reason for that.

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Why is Luke McCaffrey a WR, not a RB?

Luke McCaffrey's journey to wide receiver involved a switch from a different position altogether.

McCaffrey went to Nebraska for his first two college seasons, and with the Cornhuskers, he was a quarterback.

In 2020, Luke made two starts and totaled 466 passing yards, 364 rushing yards and four total touchdowns.

After that season, he transferred to Rice, and when he got there, he decided to change positions in order to make plays all over the field.

"I had a lot of fun," McCaffrey told the Commanders' official website in 2024. "I think it kind of took a weight off my shoulders."

He is grateful for his time as a QB.

"Because you speak the same language as a quarterback or the same language as a coordinator," McCaffrey said. "That's probably the biggest thing I've been able to take from my quarterback days."

Luke turned his position change into being the 100th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

"He took a road less traveled where he started off as a quarterback and really taught himself how to be one of the best receivers in the country in the last two years," GM Adam Peters told the Commanders website. "And so he's got size, he's got speed, he's got great movement skills, and I think he's only going to ascend."

The genes, hard work and winding journey have turned Luke into a potential rising star.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle