EXCLUSIVE: Jimmy Smith Knows Travis Hunter Will Boost Brian Thomas

It is rare for any team to have a dominant No. 1 wide receiver; they simply are not available in every offseason, and it normally takes hitting a home run on a draft pick to find one.

The Jacksonville Jaguars found their No. 1 receiver last year in Brian Thomas Jr, their first-round pick out of LSU.

But have the Jaguars already became the rare team that has found the perfect running mate to their alpha male receiver? They certainly hope so, with Colorado Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter now set to be the yin to Thomas' yang.

This wouldn't be the first time the Jaguars had a dominant receiver duo, either. In the golden era of the franchise, the team's passing offense was led by a duo affectionally known as 'Thunder and Lightning'.

Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell were not just the best duo in Jaguars' franchise history. They are one of the best in modern NFL history, with each wide receiver having the ability to take over a game at any given point.

So if anyone knows what the benefit of a running mate is, it is Smith. And the greatest receiver in Jaguars history recently explained to Jaguars On SI why the duo should be able to elevate each other -- and why the addition of Hunter should boost the entire franchise.

"Well, that means defense got, they got a tough challenge as far as game playing offnese. Do they double Brian, or do they double Travis? Or, if not, then you got another Travis in the backfield that may hurt you, but it's exciting to see Travis Hunter with our team," Smith said.

"I think he's going to bring a lot of energy and attitude and the will to win. I think it'll carry over in the locker room. Which is important coming from a rookie to kind of be that locker room team leader, and I tell you, it's going to rub off on a lot of players that attitude is Travis Hunter has."

One thing that has become clear about the duo of Thomas and Hunter so far has been their willingness to compete. Each player wants to win every single rep, something that is evident from watching just a single practice.

Each is a fierce competitor. Each wants to be the best not just on the team, but in the NFL.

And that, Smith said, is exactly what made him and McCardell so special.

"Yeah, and that's exactly what me and Keenan were. Me and Keenan, we didn't really compete against opposing defenses. I mean, we watched some film, but the defense is not what we were competing against," Smith said.

"Me and Keenan were competing against each other."

That trait alone is why Thomas and Hunter should benefit from the other. Not just because of easier matchups, but because each will want to prove to be the best of the best.

"Who was going to get the most balls during that game? And I think that's the kind of competition that you got to have, because what it does is set the tone," Smith said.

"Like, it doesn't matter what defensive secondary is out there. I know that if I don't get off to a good start, and Keenan is going to rack up some catches, and he's going to be leading in catches. So they got to have that mentality to compete against each other, and not the opposing defenses, because the opposing defenses shouldn't matter when you get that much talent on offense."