The Jacksonville Jaguars lacked a well-rounded arsenal of weapons for several years. Even last season, budding star Brian Thomas Jr. was their only legitimate threat. But that's about to change. The team's brass locked up Dyami Brown in free agency and later moved up in the NFL Draft to select Travis Hunter with the No. 2 pick. The two will join forces with Thomas to give the Jags their best collection of talent they've had at receiver in years, maybe even decades.
Tom McManus of 1010XL discussed ahead of training camp whether Hunter should play two ways, arguing that he'd rather see the 2024 Heisman Trophy Winner solely focus on receiver. On the other hand, he doesn't think he needs to be an Alpha wide receiver, noting that the Jags already have one in Thomas.
"I think what's going to be a big problem is those three receivers," McManus said when discussing Hunter's impact on offense (11:30 mark). "Brian Thomas Jr. is an absolute alpha dog. He's an absolute No. 1. He's one of the top young receivers in the game. You know, I know all this talk about Travis. I'm excited too, best player in the draft. There's no question there best player, maybe in college football-ish, but he's good. We're looking forward to it, right?"
McManus continued, "But you got Brian Thomas Jr. You know what he can do. He's unbelievable. 80+ catches, right? 13 hundred yards, 12 hundred yards. I mean, the guy's dynamite, absolutely dynamite. So I think those three together, throw in Brent Strange, throw in a running game, throw in an offensive line that can block. Hopefully, that can be the case."
As McManus noted, Thomas has already established himself as a bona fide WR1, hauling in 82 receptions for 1,282 yards with 10 touchdowns last season. His heroics in 2024 earned him a fourth place in voting for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and a Pro Bowl alternate designation. Already, the former LSU Tiger has been compared to the likes of Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson.
With Hunter and Brown in the fold, Thomas should be even better in Year 2. His target share will probably decrease because there are more receivers to feed, but he'll also face more one-on-one matchups.
On the other hand, Brown has been able to build off of his promising finish to 2024. And if his strong offseason carries into training camp, nobody will bat an eye if he's WR2 next to Thomas come Week 1. Of course, there's the Hunter factor as well.
With Brown and Thomas in the fold, Hunter doesn't have to put the team on his back. Instead, he'll benefit from the presence of his veteran counterparts, as opposing defenses won't be able to zero in on all three. That said, there's a reason he got pretty much every meaningful award for wide receivers at the collegiate level. He's a playmaker in his own right, one who rounds out Trevor Lawrence's arsenal of weapons.
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The Jaguars have their new thunder and lightning in Travis Hunter and Brian Thomas Jr.
Already, the Jaguars' receiver corps is getting plenty of recognition across the NFL, and understandably so. The last time they had a duo as talented as Hunter and Thomas was in the early 2000s when they had Jimmy Smith and Keenan "Pops" McCardell. Granted, the two already proved themselves back in the day, while Thomas and Hunter still have yet to reach that level of playmaking prowess at the NFL level on a consistent basis. Then again, the talent is there.
Couple that with Jacksonville's stacked backfield and potential breakout star Brenton Strange, and the Jaguars have the potential to field a top-10 offense in 2025.
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