Renfrow dusts off passing arm in Pro Bowl Skills showdown

Now you know why Hunter Renfrow switched to wide receiver in college.

The Raiders’ pass catcher was one of two nonquarterbacks who participated in Precision Passing, one of five events in the Skills Showdown Wednesday night at Las Vegas Ballpark held in conjunction with the Pro Bowl.

The goal in the accuracy competition was to hit as many targets — some stationary, others mobile — as possible during one minute.

Renfrow hit one target in the team competition that aired Thursday on ESPN. He scored one point.

“It was pretty embarrasing, but it was windy,” said Renfrow, a quarterback in high school who received offers from Appalachian State, Gardner-Webb, Presbyterian and Wofford but instead walked on at Clemson where he caught 186 passes during his four years.

“It made me feel better that (Vikings’ wide receiver) Justin Jefferson got zero points.”

The NFC won four of the five events, taking Precision Passing, Fastest Man (best 40-yard dash times), Best Catch (improvised pass receptions using props) and Epic Pro Bowl Dodgeball. The AFC’s sole victory was in Thread the Needle, a competition in which quarterbacks try to hit point targets guarded by defensive players from the opposite conference.

Cole hopes to sit

Raiders’ punter A.J. Cole is enjoying his first Pro Bowl experience, but he hopes he can spend Sunday on the sidelines as a spectator.

He joked that even his parents don’t want to see punts in the Pro Bowl.

“I came out here to practice and punted zero balls in anticipation for the game,” he said after Thursday’s practice. “If we do end up punting, I think I’m going to be one of the people booing out there. I’ll be on the field yelling, “Go for it, coach.’ We’ll see. It is what it is. If you have to go out there, you go out there and roll with it.”

Cole hinted that if he does punt, he will try to put some sort of flair on the kick. Maybe even try to put a magic spell on the ball.

He has been much more useful this week as a tour guide with the game in his adopted hometown of Las Vegas.

“I’m basically a free concierge service,” he said. “I’m letting guys know where to go to dinner, what shows to see and where to stay away from. That’s kind of my role on the team this week.”

Maxx stays cool

It was a brisk 39 degrees when the AFC hit the practice diamond at Las Vegas Ballpark, but Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby scoffed at the suggestion it was cold — as you might expect from a guy who played his college football in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

“No. There’s got to be snow on the ground, sleet, everything going on,” said the former Eastern Michigan sack specialist. “So not too bad. I’m used to it.”

It was even colder (25 degrees with an icy wind) during the Pro Bowl Skills Showdown Wednesday night. But that didn’t preclude Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons from stripping off his shirt to win the 40-yard dash.

“I was used to those conditions coming from Penn State,” the bare-chested one said.

Still, most agreed that Pro Bowl fans in Hawaii must have been enjoying a good laugh.

Down goes Tyreek

It isn’t often that “Pro Bowl” and “anxious moment” are used in the same sentence. But Kansas City Chiefs fans in the practice crowd estimated at 2,000 held their collective breath when speedy wide receiver Tyreek Hill collapsed to the turf in short left field after hauling in a pass from Patrick Mahomes.

Thankfully, it wasn’t an ACL or even a pulled hamstring.

It was only a harmless slip.

Hill hitting the ground with a thud was the closest thing to contact during the light AFC and NFC workouts.

The Review-Journal’s Adam Hill contributed to this report.

Contact Ron Kantowski at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski on Twitter.