CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- On his first day of practice with the Carolina Panthers, safety Eric Reid on Monday already was in a dispute with one of his new teammates.

It had nothing to do with protesting or kneeling during the national anthem.

It had everything to do with bragging rights.

"He actually said he has the best hands in this secondary," said rookie cornerback Donte Jackson, who, like Reid, is a former LSU star. "I was like, 'How?' I told somebody to get him a Snickers, he's not himself when he's hungry."

Reid laughed, then made it as clear that he had the best hands in the secondary as he did that he would continue his collusion case against the NFL.

"Also, without a doubt," he said. "No question."

No doubt the addition of the 26-year-old Reid, signed to a one-year deal on Thursday after veteran Da'Norris Searcy was placed on injured reserve with his second concussion in a month, has made the Carolina secondary better. He is a five-year veteran and a 2013 Pro Bowl selection.

His grievance with the NFL over colluding to keep him unemployed because he was the first player to join former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick in kneeling during the national anthem didn't seem to matter to Jackson nor any other Carolina players.

"He adds a lot of talent to this unit," Jackson said.

There's also no doubt Jackson, 22, has made the Panthers (2-1) better. He already has three interceptions, tying him for the NFL lead and which something no Carolina defender has done in the first three games.

Only seven other players in NFL history have three picks in their first three games.

"He's good," said Reid, personal feelings about Jackson's hands aside. "He can be great. He just has to work, and keep working. He has what it takes."

That both players hail from LSU, otherwise known as DBU, should come as no surprise.

During a 13-year stretch (from 2006 to 2018), 20 players from the LSU secondary were drafted. In the previous five years only two were picked.

Patrick Peterson, drafted No. 5 overall by the Arizona Cardinals in 2011, was the highest-drafted player in the group that also includes Jamal Adams (No. 6, 2017) of the New York Jets, Corey Webster (No. 43 overall, 2005) of the New York Giants and Tyrann Mathieu (No. 69 overall, 2013) of the Cardinals.

San Francisco drafted Reid with the No. 18 overall pick in 2013. The Panthers, in the second around, made Jackson the 55th overall pick in the 2018 draft.

That Jackson and Reid understand how hard it is to get on the field at LSU, which yearly has one of the top recruiting classes in the nation, unites them through a bond -- one they enjoyed on Monday when walking to practice together for the first time.

"I don't even think we were talking about football at that time," Jackson said. "LSU, whether you played with the guy or not, it's still a brotherhood.

Jackson: 'I'm like that'

Jackson was passing by Captain Munnerlyn's locker at about the same time the nickelback was asked what Jackson brings to the Carolina secondary.

"Donte?" Munnerlyn said. "He brings a lot of mouth to the group."

Swagger is one of two reasons -- the other his speed -- why the Panthers drafted Jackson. Coach Ron Rivera has said repeatedly it's similar to the swagger Josh Norman brought to the group during the Panthers Super Bowl 50 run.

That swagger never was more evident than in a 2015 game against the New York Giants, who visit Bank of America Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (Fox).

Odell Beckham Jr. was flagged three times for unnecessary roughness -- twice on one drive in the third quarter -- and suspended for the following game by the league for a malicious helmet-to-helmet hit on Norman. The Carolina cornerback was called for unnecessary roughness once.

"Chippy game," recalled Jackson, who watched it on television as a college sophomore. "Those guys obviously had a feud against each other. It was a great game to watch for me."

Jackson doesn't get chippy with receivers, and he doesn't plan to start even if he gets a chance to face Beckham. It's just not his style. Whether he gets that chance remains to be seen, as James Bradberry is expected to draw the assignment on OBJ.

But Jackson doesn't hesitate to let receivers -- and teammates -- know how good he is.

"Every time he makes a play, he says, 'I'm like that,' " Munnerlyn said. "I guess he's just letting everybody know he's good. He makes a play on the field, we say, 'Good job.' He says, 'I'm like that.'"

Backing it up with speed

Munnerlyn pointed to a play against Atlanta in Week 2 when Jackson missed the tackle at the line of scrimmage, got up and chased the running back down.

That play shows why Jackson might be better than Norman was as a rookie, when he started the first 12 games before getting benched.

"No disrespect to Josh, but Donte is a whole lot faster," Munnerlyn said. "I've never seen too many guys with that speed.

Or with that kind of confidence as a rookie. Just don't count Jackson among those surprised by his fast start.

"Me? Surprised? Nah," he said. "I'm not surprised at myself. I expected this. I put a lot of work into this. Learned a lot from these guys. These guys helped me gain confidence."

Playing for LSU also helped Jackson in the same way it helped Reid and others.

"The speed of the game. It's almost like the NFL," Munnerlyn said. "The speed of the game and the competition you're going against, it gets you ready for the NFL."

Rivera agreed.

"It's probably the elite conference," he said. "When you play against that competition year in and year out, you're going to develop your skill sets. LSU, they recruit those type of players, so you're going to have a number of them that come out each year."

'Changed my life'

Reid can't wait to get into a game with Jackson. He can't wait to get in a game with his new defense in general.

Reid said it reminds him of the San Francisco unit he joined as a rookie when he made the Pro Bowl with a career-high four interceptions and beat the Panthers in a divisional playoff game en route to the NFC Championship.

"We had Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman, Alden Smith, Justin Smith, Ahmad Brooks ... we had some guys," Reid recalled. "Walking on the field brought me back to that. Julius Peppers is out there and I'm saying, 'Oh, my goodness!'

"I'm excited to play with those guys."

Nobody is more excited to play with Reid than Jackson. The 2011 LSU team Reid was a part of, finishing as a runner-up in the national championship game, "changed my life, made me want to go to LSU," Jackson said.

Reid, in particular, caught Jackson's eye because of his number.

"He wore my favorite number, which was No. 1, and I ended up taking over that number when he was gone," Jackson said.

Reid and Jackson also are natives of Louisiana, Reid from Baton Rouge and Jackson from New Orleans. So not only do they talk football, they talk favorite foods and local places to go.

That the Panthers took a chance on Reid when no other team had throughout the offseason means a lot to Jackson and a unit that was considered the weak link coming into the season.

"It just says a lot about our front office, that they want us to be a Super Bowl-winning team," Jackson said. "Anytime you get talent like that, you know you're going in the right direction.

"He makes an already good secondary better."

As for which player has the best hands, that will take care of itself.

"He dropped two today," Reid said of Jackson. "I'll just leave that out there."