Quietly, efficiently, Hunter Renfrow making his mark

He’d mastered the route tree. The nuances and subtleties of each and every one en route to 1,094 career receptions for 14,394 yards and 100 touchdowns — and a legacy as one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history.

But sometimes Raiders great Tim Brown wasn’t tasked with running a specific pattern. He was tasked with getting open. One way or another.

In third-and-4 or third-and-5 situations, Brown remembers that coach Jon Gruden would tell him, “I don’t care how you do it. I don’t care how many moves you make. Just be on the same page as the quarterback.”

The same way Hunter Renfrow and Derek Carr are today. Brown believes Renfrow receives similar instruction based on the way he routinely bamboozles opposing defensive backs in critical situations.

Renfrow’s fleet feet and sure hands have helped him secure 92 of 114 targets for 949 yards and six touchdowns this season — and join Brown and fellow Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Jerry Rice as the only Raiders wide receivers to catch 90 or more passes in a season.

With two games remaining, Renfrow can eclipse Brown’s single-season receptions record for Raiders wide receivers of 104 with another signature outing or two. And perhaps challenge tight end Darren Waller’s overall record of 107.

But the third-year slot receiver from Clemson wants only to win the final two games to help the Raiders reach the NFL’s postseason. His statistical exploits may be impressive, but they remain secondary to team success.

“Those are two of the best to ever play, especially for the Raiders,” Renfrow said of being mentioned with Brown and Rice. “But it’s not about that. It’s about winning games.”

The 26-year-old Renfrow is quick to credit his teammates for his success.

“Derek has done a great job of getting me the ball,” he said. “The offensive line has done a great job of stepping up and letting him get the ball to me. It’s cool. But let’s see how we finish this thing out.”

Breaking in

Renfrow flourished at Clemson, morphing from a gangly walk-on into a key cog on a national champion. His performance in the 2017 College Football Playoff national championship game is a part of Clemson and college football lore.

He caught 10 passes for 92 yards during a 35-31 victory over Alabama, including two touchdowns and the game-winning score in the final seconds. All while showcasing the sure hands, nimble feet and after-the-catch elusiveness that have powered his NFL success.

Raiders wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett combed through Renfrow’s college game tape well before the 2019 NFL draft and observed what he called “natural instinctive movements.” He met Renfrow during the week of the 2019 Senior Bowl, where the Raiders’ coaching staff was in charge of one of the two teams.

His character and passion for football were among the other things that Bennett noticed.

“I kind of go back and look at it from the standpoint that you saw a really good football player. Period. In general. No matter what position,” Bennett said. “You knew what was going to translate as far as his knowledge of the game. … When you watch him on tape, see him run routes, you knew he had a really good understanding for how to create separation.”

Bennett pointed more specifically to Renfrow’s release and the way he could acquire and maintain leverage against defenders. He was — and still is — clinical at the top of his routes, relying on refined footwork to misdirect and separate. He still isn’t sure why Renfrow fell to the fifth round.

Perhaps a perceived lack of size and speed. Renfrow is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs 185 pounds. He ran a more than respectable 4.59 second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine.

“But we’re fortunate that we’re able to get him when we got him,” Bennett said, “because he’s a heck of a football player.”

Bennett said the organization believed Renfrow would be an immediate contributor based on his skill set and some overlap with Clemson’s offensive concepts. He caught 49 passes for 605 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie to finish as Oakland’s third-leading receiver.

He was the third-leading receiver again in 2020, catching 56 passes for 656 yards and two scores.

When discussing his emergence this season, Bennett credited Renfrow’s improved chemistry with Carr, the Raiders’ veteran quarterback with whom he informally practiced throughout the offseason.

“He’s really playing chess in the minds of some of these defensive backs,” Carr said of Renfrow. “If you are in the NFL, physically you are probably able to do it. The thing that separates the guys that get to play for a while … is the mental side of things, and sometimes injuries. So, you just pray that a guy like Hunter can stay healthy because the mental side of things is where he’s starting to separate himself.”

Breaking out

To Carr’s point, Bennett indicated the Raiders have allowed Renfrow to freelance from time to time. They trust that he can win one-on-one matchups at the line of scrimmage and employ various schemes designed to ensure Renfrow is in single coverage.

He’s also deft against zone coverage and after the catch, ranking 15th in the NFL this season with 425 yards. He’s caught at least one pass in 87 consecutive games, dating back to his career at Clemson.

And he’s helped buoy the offense and keep the Raiders afloat minus Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller and former wide receiver Henry Ruggs, who were injured and released last month, respectively.

“He’s so valuable, it’s invaluable, to think about what he’s done,” Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia said. “I just feel like it’s the way he practices as well. So, if you see him in practice and then you get a chance to see him in the game, you’re not surprised in any way. That’s Hunter Renfrow. So, yes, he’s on a historic pace, but I know he’d give it all up to just have this opportunity to keep playing and have an opportunity to win games.”

Rice wasn’t available for comment amid a contractual media blackout, per his publicist. But Brown offered a glowing review of Renfrow, noting that he “knows where he needs to be on the field and when to get there.”

At first glance, Brown believed Renfrow would be a productive receiver capable of helping the Raiders win games. But he didn’t foresee 100 receptions or 1,000 yards in a single season.

Then again, who did?

“For him to be able to maneuver the way he has week in and week out, my man is doing some serious film time,” Brown said. “It’s remarkable. If you’re looking at Hunter Renfrow, you’re not going to say ‘Oh, my God. … He’s going to be all physical. He’s going to out-physical me.’ He’s not that type of presence.

“He’s been put in a position that maybe he shouldn’t be in because you have the situation with (Ruggs), the situation with (Waller). … For him to take over those roles, man, and to do them effectively the way he has … it’s great to see,” Brown added.

“He’s doing whatever he can to help the team win. That’s what it’s all about.”

Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.