Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs had a fantastic debut NFL season, breaking the franchise’s rookie rushing record.
Being as humble and hungry as he is though, Jacobs was not satisfied and worked as hard as possible to get even better going into his second season.
One specific aspect of Jacobs’ game that he wanted to improve is receiving as he only 20 receptions for 166 yards during his rookie season. He set a goal of catching 60 passes in 2020, which seemed lofty, although after seeing him in Week 1, certainly can be attainable.
In addition to carrying the ball 25 times for 93 yards and three touchdowns in the win over the Carolina Panthers, Jacobs also hauled in four receptions for 46 yards. Couple that with his improved pass-blocking ability, and JAcobs truly is developing into one of the most complete running backs in football.
When discussing his improved receiving ability, Jacobs gave credit to watching teammate Hunter Renfrow to pick up some of his tricks, via Kyle Martin of Raiders.com:
“I did a lot more of not putting myself in a running back aspect but like a receiver,” Jacobs said earlier this week. “Whether it was going outside in the slot and actually learning how to get off a release, stemming the guy and learning leverage and all the different kind of things like that. And then watching Hunter [Renfrow] on his choice routes, just how creative he is and just try to put it in. Find what I like and make it my own.”
Renfrow obviously doesn’t rely on his size, or even his speed, to get open. He is one of the best route runners in the league, however, so there certainly is plenty that Jacobs could take away from his game to improve.
Both Jacobs and Renfrow were part of the Raiders’ 2019 rookie class that looks to be one of the best in franchise history. Both are franchise cornerstones moving forward and will be a big part of the team’s success moving forward in 2020 and beyond.
