This tight end class is topped with some amazing young talent. Among true Juniors like Kyle Pitts, Pat Freiermuth, and Brevin Jordan there is Redshirt Sophomore Tommy Tremble. Following in the footsteps of “Mapletron” Chase Claypool is no easy task. There is a lot that comes with the title of tight end at Notre Dame. Tremble has been labeled as the best blocking tight end in this class. At his size, hopefully, he can receive the ball as well. Is Tremble just a blocking tight end? Let’s find out.
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Player Bio
Name: Tommy Tremble
Jersey: #24
Position: Tight End
School: Notre Dame
Class: Redshirt Sophomore
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 241 lbs
Hands (3.5/10)
This is both hard to gauge and a rough start for Tremble. He just does not have enough targets to have a real understanding of his hands (35 receptions on 52 targets in his two years starting). The few times Tremble was targeted, he dropped some easily catchable balls. The Notre Dame product has a 12.5 percent drop rate over his two years starting. That is quite horrific. To be fair, he only has five drops in two years, but all people can do is project this over a larger number of touches. In short, Tremble has some major issues when it comes to hands.
Note: 5.0 is average, 9.0 is elite
Contested Catch (5.5/10)
The simple fact is that there really is not enough information to know if Tremble can receive the ball, let alone in contested situations. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, this score will start at 5.0, which is average. There were a few targets in skin-tight coverage which Tremble caught, so the score is slightly boosted given his ability to catch in traffic.
Overall Speed and burst (8.25/10)
Tremble is an excellent athlete. He has quite the acceleration and very smooth movement. The athleticism is not anything out of this world, but it is definitely up there with some of the best tight ends in the league. The weird thing is that although the burst and speed are apparent on tape, Tremble rarely gets solid separation when dealing with defenders. The 4.6-second forty-yard dash highlights his solid speed, so it must mean that defenders are becoming more and more athletic.
Route Running (6.0/10)
Again, this is a super tough category to score. Tremble surprisingly ran quite a few routes at Notre Dame given his minute target share; however, he has only a couple that actually work. This will be talked about in-depth in the ‘separation’ category. Tremble has very fluid movement skills for the most part: he moves so smoothly on most routes that it does not always look like he made a cut. There is a major flaw in regards to his route running, however. The Notre Dame product has a very difficult time with sharp cuts. He tends to grind to a halt before trying to almost juke the defender out on which way he is cutting. That takes up precious time that quarterbacks usually do not have. The soft-cutting routes, especially flag routes, are a thing of beauty.
After the Catch (4.0/10)
It hurts to grade Tremble so lowly in this category because he really looks like he fights for every yard. That is not good enough, unfortunately. There is a major lack of elusiveness and break-tackle ability. For his size and athleticism, that is quite shocking. Another major negative is that Tremble appears to have poor ball security. There were several times where he either fumbled out of bounds or nearly fumbled when tackled. His speed and burst boost this score from three to four.
Release (6.75/10)
This category is based on essentially one snap where Tremble dealt with press, so the truth may vary across consistent press reps. In that one play, the Notre Dame product flashed excellent release skills. He flew right by the pressing defender with no issues whatsoever. The score will be lowered due to a lack of tape on this issue, but this category could have been in the nine range if Tremble had been consistent with this performance on more reps.
Separation (5.0/10)
This category was quite confusing. The speed, burst, and route-running skills are apparent, yet there is little separation to be had. The only route that gained consistent separation was the flag route, which is amazing, but there should be separation generated on the other routes as well. The average score reflects the controversy: either Tremble generates solid separation or he generates none. This will be a critical factor if a team wants to place Tremble full-time at tight end.
Blocking (9.0/10)
The rumors have some validity. Tremble is at least a top-two blocking tight end in this class. Freiermuth has a fear factor to his blocks that he does not have, so that is why it is hard to crown the Notre Dame product as the king. Tremble uses his mobility to generate power in his blocking. He does not have a great anchor and he stands too upright when blocking, but that is nitpicking. Overall, Tremble has unique blocking abilities. He can hand fight with defenders (and win), he turns defenders to open up running lanes, and he can block on the move very well. All of these combine to form the real identity of Tremble: a blocking weapon.
Positional Versatility (6.75/10)
This is a terribly difficult category to grade. On paper, Tremble can play in the slot, as a fullback, and as an in-line tight end. When factoring in ball security and catching concerns along with separation issues, it is hard to think that a team will draft him as a true tight end. Football is all about playing to the roster’s strengths. Tremble’s strength is blocking and using his athleticism to make plays. Unfortunately, that role seems to place him directly as a full-time fullback. Yes, he can be in 21 personnel, but he seems to never be able to become the star tight end many think Tremble should be. There certainly is a chance, but he needs to develop his catching, sharp cuts, and ball security. That seems like too tall of a task for an organization to draft him anywhere but the third round.
Competitive Toughness (5/5)
Tremble fights every down. If he fails on a block, he immediately goes to re-engage with another player. Failure is not an option.
Injury (4/5)
Tremble appears to stay healthy regularly, but there was a “looming” leg injury at the end of the 2020 season.
Player Summary
This report was by far one of the most difficult to do, given the lack of receiving tape out there. Unfortunately, Notre Dame would have used him in the Claypool role if he were a better receiver. The fact is that they did not. Yes, Michael Mayer is a future first-round pick, but that should not stop Tremble from shining. Teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Baltimore Ravens, and the San Francisco 49ers (just to name a few) use fullbacks consistently. Tremble fits this role beautifully.
There is a real chance for him to be the best fullback in the NFL. With his versatility, Tremble could be an every-down starter. Even on five-wide sets, he can be used as a blocker or a potential threat in the receiving game. The issue is that receiving will never be Tremble’s true identity if he does not fix the glaring issues in his game. Only time will tell as to whether he can get past them and develop into the superstar that he could be.
Final Grade (63.75/100): Third Round
Player Comp: Kyle Juszczyk
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