The Raiders got a lot of unexpected surprises out of their 2019 draft class. Defensive end Maxx Crosby tallied 10 sacks despite being a fourth-round pick. Foster Moreau became an incredibly valuable No. 2 tight end behind Darren Waller and even Isaiah Johnson showed flashes of brilliance in the second half of the season.
But what wasn’t surprising for the Raiders that Hunter Renfrow had an immediate impact on the offense. After catching 186 passes during his college career at Clemson, no one doubted that he would be able to come into the NFL and carve out a role. However, his importance to the Raiders’ offense might have been the most surprising part of his rookie season.
In his final seven games with the Raiders, Renfrow caught 35 passes for 490 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged an incredible 10.9 yards per target, which put him among the most efficient receivers in the entire NFL.
Could Renfrow be in line for an even bigger workload in 2020? In a recent article by Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report, he predicted a breakout season for Renfrow and guessed that the former Clemson receiver could eclipse 1,000 receiving yards next season. Here is a snippet of Davenport’s thoughts on Renfrow this season:
Hunter Renfrow already experienced a mini-breakout of sorts a year ago for the Raiders. No wide receiver on the Raiders roster received more targets than Renfrow’s 71 in 2019, and the fifth-round pick topped 100 receiving yards with a touchdown in each of his last two games. With (Henry) Ruggs keeping defenses honest down the field and tight end Darren Waller drawing the majority of attention underneath, there will be no shortage of opportunities for Renfrow to do damage from the slot.
While it does seem unlikely that Renfrow will be able to average 14 yards per reception like he did in the second half of the 2019 season, it is possible that his target share in the offense will go up. As Davenport mentioned, Ruggs and Waller should draw a ton of attention this season, opening up the middle of the field for Renfrow.
If Renfrow can receive 110-120 targets this season from Derek Carr, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Renfrow surpass the 1,000-yard mark. It’s clear that Carr trusts him to get open, especially on third down. Don’t be surprised if Renfrow is the team’s leading receiver in 2020.
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