Luke McCaffrey believed that for NFL scouts to take him seriously, he needed to top his famous brother. After Luke emerged as one of the best receivers in the American Athletic Conference at Rice in 2023, teams were still unsure of his speed or if his playmaking ability at a Group of 5 school would translate to the NFL. So Luke made it his mission to beat the marks of his older brother Christian, the 49ers’ All-Pro running back, at the NFL Combine. “When I told NFL scouts that Luke was going to be a 4.4-something in the 40-yard dash, a lot of them didn’t believe me,” recalled then-Rice wideout coach Mike Kershaw. “So his No. 1 goal was to beat all of Christian’s numbers at the combine. And when he ran a faster 40 than Christian, that wasn’t by accident.” Luke ran 4.46 in the 40, two-hundredths of a second better than Christian’s 4.48. Luke also tied the San Francisco star’s numbers in the 10-yard split and the broad jump, while also posting a better shuttle time. That tangible display of speed and athleticism, on top of his college production — Luke racked up 992 yards on 71 catches and an AAC-best 13 TDs in 2023 — led the Commanders to draft him in the third round at No. 100 overall. Now, Luke is set to make his NFL playoff debut on Sunday when Washington travels to Tampa Bay for a wild-card showdown. His professional emergence comes despite being relatively raw at wideout. He didn’t fully transition to the position until 2022. That came after Luke, who started at quarterback as a senior on an undefeated Valor Christian Class 5A title team, went to Nebraska as a QB. After two seasons in Lincoln, he transferred to Rice in 2021, again to play quarterback. But shortly after that season ended, he made the decision to return to the position he played in his first few years at Valor. “I was at a point where I wasn’t having the success that I wished I was having at QB,” Luke said. “… I also got to the point where I just wanted to do what I could to have fun playing football, and to enjoy it so I could follow the process and love the game again. Thankfully, I found that through switching positions and being able to impact the game in other ways.” Nati Harnik, Associated Press fileIn this Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019, file photo, Nebraska quarterback Luke McCaffrey (7) rolls out during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Indiana in Lincoln, Neb. Luke was Rice’s team MVP in his first collegiate season as a pass-catcher, with 58 receptions for 723 yards and six TDs in 2022, including 274 yards after the catch. In that transition, Kershaw saw a player who was in the early stages of development as a route runner, but one who was finally coming into his own. A seven-catch, 121-yard performance against Houston in the fourth game that fall was Luke’s breakout — and he never looked back. “Trying to come in and be the face of the program as a quarterback, I think he had a lot of pressure on his shoulders,” Kershaw said. “He couldn’t just be Luke. He was trying to do too much, probably. You could tell that by making the decision to switch positions, he became himself a little bit more. “That’s when I knew we were going to see who this kid really is.” Luke’s athletic family roots are well-known. His dad, Ed, played 13 years in the NFL for the Giants, 49ers and Broncos, winning three Super Bowls and becoming a Colorado Sports Hall of Famer along the way. Ed was Valor Christian’s head coach during Luke’s senior year. His mom, Lisa, was a star sprinter in high school and went on to play soccer at Stanford. Lisa’s dad, Dave Sime, won a silver medal in the 100-meters at the 1960 Olympics. San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) runs into the end zone for a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) Then there’s Luke’s brothers: The oldest, Max, played briefly as a wideout in the NFL and is now an offensive assistant for the Dolphins. Christian, one of the best Colorado high school players ever, has emerged as one of the faces of the NFL. And Dylan, who is now out of football, played at Michigan and then for Ed at Northern Colorado. With the Commanders, the coaching staff’s seen a rookie determined to make his own name. “His work ethic and his fearlessness is through the roof,” Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury told reporters in October. “Every day at practice you almost have to slow him down because he wants it so bad.” Luke has 18 catches for 168 yards this year. He’s also made an impact at kick returner, where he has 10 returns for 299 yards. He’s not getting targeted much — only 24 times on the season, and never more than three times in a game — but he’s made plays that helped propel Washington to its first playoff berth in four seasons. That included a 30-yard catch on fourth down in a Week 3 win over Cincinnati, a grab that set up a touchdown and helped swing the momentum early in the game, as well as several solid returns in a Week 16 win over Philadelphia. Ed and Max review Luke’s film after each game, then jump on a weekly call with Luke to break down his play. Denver Broncos Ed McCaffrey pulls in a John Elway pass against the Atlanta Falcons during the third quarter of Super Bowl XXXIII at Pro Player Stadium on Jan. 31, 1999. “We watch the film with him, I give my two cents, Max gives his two cents,” Ed said. “In terms of technique and things he might be able to do better with his route in certain situations, we’ll give our input and hopefully at times it will help him. “He’s chomping at the bit to get on the field more and get more targets, but at the same time, the great thing is he really is embracing preparing every day so when he gets those opportunities, he can make a play for his team.” As Luke makes his playoff debut, he insists “there’s so much more on the table that I can learn and grow and get better at.” Ed, who had only 16 catches for 146 yards as a rookie with the Giants in 1991, after being drafted in the third round like Luke, is even more optimistic. “The sky is the limit,” Ed said. “He has the physical ability to become one of the most accomplished receivers in the league.” Washington Commanders wide receiver Luke McCaffrey (12) looks on from the sidelines before an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. 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