Travis Hunter wanted to get the play right. So he asked quarterback Trevor Lawrence to stay behind and work on it in practice.

Hunter, a threat on both offense and defense for the Jacksonville Jaguars at just 22, had a feeling it would come in handy against the Kansas City Chiefs. His instinct proved correct.

“I wanted to get that ball completed. We messed it up a couple of times. We got overthrows. We got short. I didn’t get my depth sometimes. So I just wanted to make sure it was perfect before I left. And it was perfect in the game; I made the grab that I needed to grab,” Hunter said during a news conference at The Grove Hotel in Watford, England, on Wednesday.

Hunter, the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, made a spectacular catch in the third quarter, leaping to beat two converging defenders — safety Bryan Cook and cornerback Chamarri Conner — to Lawrence’s spiraling pass. The 44-yard reception gave Jacksonville a first down at Kansas City’s 28-yard line and led to the Jaguars’ second touchdown of their statement 31-28 Week 5 win. It remains Hunter’s longest play in the NFL.

“It didn’t unfold exactly how we thought,” Lawrence said Wednesday, ahead of the Jaguars’ Week 7 game against the Los Angeles Rams at Wembley Stadium. “I had to scramble a little bit, but we threw that route probably eight times after practice one day until we got it right.

“And just that type of mindset from him is great as a quarterback. There’s not many guys that are willing to do that after a hard practice, go out there and run eight 50-yard routes, just back-to-back-to-back, until we get it right. And he wanted to. He was kind of the one pushing that, so he’s a hard worker.”

Travis Hunter beats Chiefs defensive back Chamarri Conner to the ball in the Jaguars’ Week 5 win. (Mike Carlson / Getty Images)

Lawrence knows all about the expectations of being the face of the franchise. The No. 1 pick of 2021’s draft came straight out of Clemson and into the dysfunction of Urban Meyer’s ill-fated regime.

Lawrence has made the playoffs once (in the 2022 season) and suffered an injury-plagued campaign last year, when the Jaguars went 4-13 and fired coach Doug Pederson at its conclusion. The quarterback received a five-year, $275 million contract extension in June, and since then, he has helped steer Jacksonville to a 4-2 start.

He said he is enjoying his role as mentor to Hunter.

“Man, he’s been fun to be around. Unique personality and just the energy he brings to the team,” Lawrence said. “As far as his mindset, his attitude, I think he doesn’t need much help. I think he goes about things the right way. He wants to get better. He wants to learn.

“But as far as just the football side of it … we have to be on the same page. There’s a lot of conversations that go into each week, every game plan trying to get dialed in, so that we are just on the same page and have that chemistry. Because that’s so important for a quarterback and wide receiver.

“So it’s coming along every week. He’s making big improvements, and I’m finding more ways to keep him involved and get him the ball. I think that’s the biggest thing. He has so much talent. Like, you’ve got to find ways to keep featuring him just because he’s so good with the ball in his hands.”

Jaguars coach Liam Coen said the pair is working to improve their production on the field.

“They do spend a pretty good amount of time together throughout the course of the day, whether it’s in the meeting setting, whether it’s at the walk-throughs, whether it’s post-practice, one-on-one,” Coen said.

“Trevor is a unique leader in the way that he’s able to give such great insight for a younger guy, if you will. He’s kind of mature beyond his years in so many ways — sometimes I feel like he’s a little more mature than me. I think that relationship is getting better and better.”

Hunter and Lawrence’s Adidas commercial, as part of the “You’ve Got This” campaign, has played on heavy rotation during NFL games this season. The commercial recreates scenes from the 1984 film “Footloose.” Hunter said filming with Lawrence was a great “bonding” experience.

“That was before we had really spent a lot of time together … so it was good to spend the whole day with him,” Lawrence said. “And obviously it’s kind of a light-hearted, funny commercial. But just getting to do that together, I think, was good for our relationship. And, you know, hopefully we’re together for a long time.”

Lawrence is used to working with highly drafted playmakers. Running back Travis Etienne, receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and now receiver/cornerback Hunter are all fellow first-round picks. The Jaguars just need them all to click.

Etienne is sixth in the NFL in rushing, with 470 yards. While the loss of tight end Brenton Strange to injured reserve with a hip injury is a concern, the Jaguars’ receiving corps is more so. Thomas has dropped at least five passes. Hunter has 20 receptions for 197 yards in six games, playing 62.8 percent of snaps on offense. He has yet to record a touchdown — or, when on defense, an interception.

Coen hinted at giving Hunter a larger role on offense Sunday against the Rams (4-2).

“Scheming him open is part of it, number one,” Coen said. “Our job as an offensive staff (is) to make sure we’re putting him in the progression and putting him in the position to be (the) No. 1 (option) a little bit more often in some ways.
 And then when he is the primary (option), we’ve got to throw and catch. We’ve got to make sure that we identify it, find him, be able to be at the right spot at the right time. So I think it’s a combination of a lot of those things that ultimately can all be controlled.”

“It’s definitely something that we are consistently trying to do,” Lawrence said, “because I think we’ve all seen how special he is when he gets the opportunities down the field, or just catches the ball underneath and can make people miss and turn those 5-yard passes into 25-yard gains, because he’s so good with the ball in his hands.”