Tommy Tremble brings violence and versatility to Panthers offense as newest TE
The Carolina Panthers selected Notre Dame tight end Tommy Tremble with the 83rd overall pick in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft. The selection was acquired in a trade with the Chicago Bears and was the final pick by the team on the second day of the draft. He marked the third straight offensive player taken by the Panthers.
After drafting eight consecutive defensive players to start off the Matt Rhule era in Carolina, rounds two and three for the Panthers were about picking up more draft picks this year and in the future — through four different trades — and beginning to add more offensive pieces to the roster.
“The great players on our team are all great, great, great athletes. Christian McCaffrey’s a great athlete, DJ Moore’s a great athlete, Robby Anderson’s a great athlete, Taylor Moton’s a great athlete, (Jeremy) Chinn, (Brian) Burns, Donte (Jackson), Shaq (Thompson). This is a game made up of elite athletes,” Rhule said. “I think if you can find elite athletes with football instincts and also a love of the game, and who treat people well, you have something special.
“Again, the tape’s the most important thing for us but their metrics they just verify that what you see on tape is real.”
It’s not hard to tell why Tremble, 20, fits what the Panthers, and Rhule specifically, are looking for. He is a solid, physical blocker and someone who is ready to contribute in whatever way is needed to the offense.
“The mentality that I have every time I step on the field is to try and be the most violent and versatile guy on the field,” Tremble said. “That’s something that I’ve also got to prove, that I can do everything on the field. Not just a good blocking game or something like that. I’m not going to be put in just one box. That’s the main thing that I want to prove at that next level, especially with the Panthers.”
Whether or not Tremble will develop into more of a receiving threat in the Panthers offense is still to be seen. He was often the second tight end option on the Fighting Irish’s roster. In 2020, he caught 19 passes for 218 yards and started 10 games. He is primed to fill the role of Chris Manhertz, who left the Panthers in free agency for the Jacksonville Jaguars and was largely a blocker, however, he has the potential to develop into more of a versatile weapon.
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady will be able to get creative with Tremble who is a strong run blocker, and create favorable matchups.
The 6-foot-3, 241-pound tight end comes from an athletic family. His father, Greg, was an All-SEC safety at Georgia and played in the NFL for the Cowboys and Eagles. First-round pick Jaycee Horn’s father, Joe, was also an NFL player and the two younger athletes actually faced off in high school as both are from Georgia. Tremble’s sister, Isabella, runs track and field.
The Panthers now have six tight ends on the roster and Tremble could pair well with Dan Arnold, who was brought in during free agency. Tremble ran a 4.63 40-yard dash and had an 83.7 run-blocking grade last season, per Pro Football Focus, highest of any tight end in the country. The team will hope he can carve out a role like the other “great athletes” on the roster in what will be competitive tight end room with limited roster spots.
“Whatever they need me to do, whether it’s block inline, play out of the slot, play fullback, play on all special teams,” Tremble said. “Anything they need me to do I can do it all.”
This story was originally published April 30, 2021 at 10:35 PM.
