All Hunter Renfrow does is get open. He got open at Clemson and now he gets open in the NFL against the best athletes in the world. He doesn’t have great size or speed and in fact, he is actually a very poor athlete for the position. But that hasn’t stopped him from being one of the most important weapons on this Raiders’ offense.
So just how does he get open so frequently? Offensive coordinator Greg Olson explained in his recent media availability that Renfrow’s quarterback background actually has a lot to do with his success:
“Yeah, and you can go back to his college experience at Clemson with Dabo Swinney, he’d probably tell you the same thing. He’s got great balance, great understanding – again – he’s got a great understanding of defensive football. He’s a former quarterback, former high school quarterback and a coach’s son. That helps him in understanding where the holes are in the zone. But also, he’s just got great body balance and body position in his route running and he works at it. It’s a credit to him for his work ethic and overall knowledge of the game.”
The slot position in the NFL is littered with former quarterbacks and it’s not hard to understand. Slot receivers tend to know how to read coverages better and know how to find the little soft spots in a defense to get open. Renfrow is no exception and he’s proving once again that you don’t need to be a great athlete to be a successful receiver.
As Renfrow continues to learn this offense and build a repertoire with Derek Carr, he should only become that much more dangerous. He’s already one of the best slot receivers in the NFL and he is developing into quite a weapon for the Raiders.
[vertical-gallery id=76084]
[lawrence-newsletter]