Oakland Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow may not have the physical “look” of a National Champion. He may also not “look” like a key component of a team fighting for a playoff spot but as we all know, looks can be very deceiving in life, especially in sports.
Currently, Renfrow has 33 catches for 365 yards and two touchdowns. Yeah not eye-popping overall stats, but that’s for those not really paying attention. When you watch Hunter play, you see the impact he has in clutch moments. Against the Bengals in Week 11, Renfrow had an overall grade of 83.5 by Pro Football Focus. He ended the game with five catches and three resulting in first downs.
Hunter Renfrow's 83.5 overall grade in Week 11 was the highest on the #Raiders offense, with 3 of his 5 receptions moving the chains!
Since Week 6, his 82.0 overall grade ranks 9th among all NFL WRs 🔥📈#RaiderNation https://t.co/OTBgNNwn47 pic.twitter.com/UminsnGYHT
— PFF Las Vegas Raiders (@PFF_Raiders) November 21, 2019
Against the Chargers in Week 10 he made two catches on the game-winning drive while totaling 42 yards receiving. He rarely drops passes and since Week 6 he has an average overall grade of 82.0 good for ninth among receivers according to PFF.
When watching him play, be it college or NFL, you see the “clutch gene,” for example, talked about in Clemson lore is the National Championship winning catch. If you watched him before that game and since that game, you see the clutch and importance of having Renfrow on the field in big moments.
He always seems to make the big catch or get the first down on third down. He was picked in the fifth round and many said “oh well safe pick,” but the Raiders knew what they got and if you watched Hard Knocks you heard many players talking him up. Renfrow does not fear attempting a block or getting dirty as well and it showed up clear when he laid a block on Sam Hubbard of the Bengals. Hubbard stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 265 pounds while Renfrow is an intimidating 5-foot-20, 184 pounds but on the second play of the Raider’s last scoring drive that block helped spring Josh Jacobs for 21 yards.
An Unsung Hero?..
Renfrow has consistently broken doubts people have of him and he has one of the biggest NFL fan bases backing him. As we all know Raider Nation loves the renegade and an underdog, Renfrow is the latter. There truly is more than meets the eye with Renfrow and as he continues to build rapport and chemistry with quarterback Derek Carr, the man known as “Third and Renfrow” will only continue to grow.
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