NFL draft: Clemson national title hero, former walk-on Hunter Renfrow to Raiders
Forever, Hunter Renfrow will live in the memories of Clemson fans.
There Renfrow was on Jan. 9, 2017, darting outside as Deshaun Watson rolled right and catching Watson’s pass in the end zone in the final seconds, giving Clemson a 35-31 win and a national championship. It was Renfrow’s 10th catch and second touchdown of the game, against a defense filled with future NFL players.
Jon Gruden must have remembered. The Oakland Raiders drafted Renfrow in the fifth round of Saturday’s NFL draft.
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It continued a bit of an odd trend for Gruden in this draft.
Raiders stocking up on Clemson, Alabama players
Gruden and Mike Mayock must have been glued to the television during the Clemson-Alabama national championship game last season. Four of their picks were on one of those teams: Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell, Alabama running back Josh Jacobs, Clemson cornerback Trayvon Mullen and Renfrow.
It’s not the worst thing to rely on players from those schools. Clemson and Alabama are the premier programs in college football right now.
Gruden and Mayock are apparently trying to find a certain type of player. Getting guys from winning programs seemed to be a priority. The Raiders clearly wanted Renfrow; they traded up to get him.
Hunter Renfrow was a walk-on success story
Renfrow is an unlikely draft story. He walked on to the powerful Clemson program. He got in the lineup right away as a freshman and became a fine four-year player for a two-time national champ.
Renfrow won the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the top walk-on in college football, last season.
Renfrow won’t blow anyone away with measurables. He is 5-foot-10, 184 pounds and ran a 4.59-second 40-yard dash. But he kept getting open and catching passes for Clemson, even against some top competition, and that’s clearly what the Raiders were drawn to.
And even if Renfrow doesn’t work out in Oakland, they’ll always welcome him back in Clemson.
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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
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