I have been around the NFL long enough to know that No. 1 receivers come in all sizes and shapes, but I am surprised by Hunter Renfrow’s emergence with the Las Vegas Raiders. The third-year pro leads the team in targets (92), receptions (73), receiving yards (760) and touchdown receptions (four) while also sporting a 79.3 percent catch rate.
With Renfrow posting back-to-back 100-yard games the last two weeks, it might be time to give the Raiders’ top target his proper due as a legit No. 1 receiver. I know such a take is mind-boggling to some evaluators who viewed the 5-foot-10, 185-pounder as a WR4 based on his pedestrian workout numbers at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine (4.59-second 40-yard dash; 35-inch vertical jump; 116-inch broad jump), but the crafty receiver has found a way to get open on the perimeter.
Renfrow has a knack for setting defenders up with subtle head-and-shoulder fakes and creative releases as a route runner. He utilizes angles and a quick short-area burst to run away from defenders out of his breaks, and he shows reliable hands and superb ball skills as a pass-catcher. Despite his small hands (7 7/8 inches), Renfrow snatches the ball away from defenders on 50-50 balls, making him Derek Carr‘s favorite target in the clutch.
“I think Hunter and I have spent more time together than any receiver I’ve ever had on the field and off the field,” Carr told the media Wednesday in his weekly press conference. “… Just the level of communication that we have, it’s very high-level. It’s one thing for me to go to him, or to a receiver, and be like, ‘Hey, I need you to do it just like this.’ And it’s another thing for him to say OK and actually see it the same way on the field and do it. And he does it exactly how I need him to do it. And so, the trust is super high and the execution. It’s one thing to do it, but I’m throwing it and he’s making great plays.
“I think he’s the best after-the-catch (receiver) in the NFL, if not one of the best. I think the first guy always misses and he’s super hard to tackle, so you always want to get the ball in his hands. And to see him emerging as that guy, it doesn’t surprise me at all.”
The Raiders’ season has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride, but the emergence of Renfrow as a go-to target is a significant development for the team.
