While the Oakland Raiders have made beefing up their receiving corps a point of emphasis this offseason, general manager Mike Mayock could not pass up on the opportunity to further bolster it by selecting former Clemson wide receiver Hunter Renfrow during the 2019 NFL Draft.
The Raiders spent the later rounds of the draft trading back and stocking up on picks. That was until they decided to reverse course by moving up to select Renfrow at No. 149.
Renfrow was undoubtedly one of the more decorated wideouts in his class following an illustrious career at Clemson. Regardless, he did not generate much hype throughout the draft process.
According to Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle, Mayock was happy to see that he was still available in the fifth round:
“You’d put their offensive tape and go, ‘Why don’t people talk more about Renfrow?’” Mayock said. “Then we saw him up close at the Senior Bowl, and when I would go to the South (team) practices I’d be like, he has an innate feel for the game as far as separation, how to get open.”
Mayock added that he expects Renfrow to hit it off with quarterback Derek Carr this offseason.
“The great quarterbacks love somebody who can win quickly when there’s pressure,” Mayock said. “I’ve talked to these guys over the years and they’ve all said the same thing — give me a quick guy that can win in the middle of the field immediately when we get pressure.
“I think Derek Carr is going to love this guy.”
The Raiders have re-bolstered their receiving corps this offseason in an attempt to install a more consistent passing game. Their moves were headlined by the acquisition of Antonio Brown as the team’s new No. 1 wideout.
Meanwhile, the rest of the pecking order still has yet to be determined going into camp. Renfrow will be competing with the likes of Tyrell Williams, J.J. Nelson, and Ryan Grant for a role as one of Carr’s trusted targets. Renfrow served as a slot receiver and security blanket on third down in his time at Clemson so the same can be expected this season in Oakland even though he is just a rookie.
