Raiders’ receiver, corner competing
At the start of training camp, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said he was looking forward to the practice matchups between sixthyear slot cornerback Lamarcus Joyner and rookie receiver Hunter Renfrow.
“It’ll be excellent for (Renfrow) and his development to see if he can stand in front of ( Joyner) and block him and separate from him,” Gruden said. “Joyner’s giving me his word that none of that is going to happen.”
After a few practices, Joyner said Thursday, Renfrow approached him with an early tally.
“He came up to me the other day and was like, ‘We’re 21,’ and he was winning,” Joyner
said. “I was like, ‘I hate to break it to you, but you ain’t catching no more balls.’ ”
After drafting Renfrow in the fifth round from Clemson, the Raiders hope lining up across from Joyner on a daily basis can help expedite the receiver’s adjustment to the NFL.
Joyner, who signed a reported fouryear, $42 million deal with Oakland in March, has embraced the friendly competition.
“It’s been going great,” Joyner said. “I mean, he’s here because he’s a great routerunner, very smart and intelligent. He’s going to get me ready for Sunday and I’m going to get him ready for Sunday. And we’ve been competing that way.”
At least, since Gruden and offensive coordinator Greg Olson ribbed Joyner after a first practice in which Renfrow caught a few passes.
“They came over and said, ‘We told you to help mentor the guy, not get your butt kicked,’ ” Joyner said. “I’m like, ‘Whoa, slow your roll. You just opened up a can of worms.’ ”
Renfrow, in seriousness, said he considers himself “in a lucky position.”
“I get to go against one of the best nickel corners in the game,” Renfrow said. “I feel like (that) will make me better. If I can get open against him, I feel I can get open against most anybody.”
Renfrow made a habit of getting open at Clemson, catching 186 passes for 2,133 yards over 55 games, despite a physical appearance that led general manager Mike Mayock to compare him to “Doogie Howser.” Renfrow was a walkon at Clemson and is listed at 5foot10, 185 pounds. He excelled on big stages, catching two touchdown passes in the nationaltitle game in January 2016 against Alabama and the gamewinning TD pass in the following year’s titlegame rematch.
Early in camp, Raiders defensive backs have commended Renfrow’s ability to create space as a passing target. Safety Karl Joseph said Renfrow is “deceptively fast and he’s got the quickness.” Joyner said
“He’s going to get me ready for Sunday and I’m going to get him ready for Sunday.” Lamarcus Joyner, Raiders cornerback, on wide receiver Hunter Renfrow
Renfrow is adept at “understanding leverage.”
“Just understanding how to get a (defensive back) to fear he’s going vertical or going out and being able to stop on a dime and come back in real quick,” Joyner said. “He is a very (precise) routerunner and I think that’s his game.”
Renfrow said he believes “90 percent of (getting open) is instinct,” and playing off the defender in his area.
“You might be playing zone, but you’re still having eyes on me, playing me in that zone,” Renfrow said. “So it’s all mantoman for the most part. And it’s little things like being deceptive.”
Still, Renfrow acknowledged that in the NFL game: “I don’t know what I don’t know.” So during their practice reps, he and Joyner have a “constant communication.”
“He’s not one of those guys that just wants to win at all costs,” Renfrow said. “He wants to get me better. I want to get him better.”
One challenge Joyner has presented is contact at the line of scrimmage trying to throw Renfrow off his route.
“He’ll get his hands on you quick, so just be ready for that,” Renfrow said. “If he’s leaning heavy inside, then be ready to get outside and get his hands off you. That’s just one of the things we’ve discussed.”
Joyner, who started at free safety last season for the Rams, is projected as the Raiders’ primary slot cornerback. Renfrow is in a camp competition at slot receiver. Joyner said he has no doubt about Renfrow being an NFL player.
“Coach Gruden said, and I feel the same thing, if you can beat me, then you can beat any nickel in this league,” Joyner said. “And he’s been getting it done, and I’ve been competing with him.”