Rookie Report Card: Davis Mills and Tommy Tremble

Each week throughout the season, I’ll cover at least two rookies in the Rookie Report Card and try to always include the biggest performers from that particular week. On top of reviewing my expectations for each player coming into the league and how well he’s lived up to those expectations at the NFL level to this point, I’ll grade the player in three categories. Those categories are performance to date, rookie season potential and long-term upside.

The series continues as we take a look at a couple of players who went late in rookie drafts over the summer, Davis Mills and Tommy Tremble.

Davis Mills, QB HOU

Week Three Stats: 19/28 passing (68%), 168 yards, one touchdown

I realize I wrote in the opening paragraph that I’d try to cover the biggest rookie performances and Mills was the QB28 in week three but I have to say, I was about as impressed as I possibly could be from a quarterback who threw for just 168 yards in his first career start.

A five-star recruit coming out of high school, Mills showed measurable improvement throughout his college career but started just 11 games due to redshirting as a freshman, playing behind KJ Costello for a year-plus and a COVID-19 shortened 2020. He ended his career with 3,468 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions, completing 65.5% of his passes.

Due to his pedigree and upside, Mills was considered by many to be the sixth-best quarterback in the 2021 draft class despite the lack of college playing time. Those who watched Mills in college saw ideal size (6’-4”, 217 pounds), a smooth and effortless release and the arm strength to make throws into tight windows. At his best inside the pocket, he excels on timing throws – showing excellent anticipation to hit targets between zone defenders or releasing the ball before a receiver makes his break.

Despite those positives, however, Mills also appeared to decide where he’s going with the ball before the snap at times – particularly in the play-action game. In my time watching him, I saw him come out of a play-action fake ready to fire to his first read without finding the coverage which led to interceptions and balls that should have been turned over if not for drops from defensive backs.

Selected eighth in the draft among quarterbacks, Mills ended up the third of the three signal-callers selected in a four-pick span at the end of the second and start of the third rounds. As the first selection of the Texans in the draft, it was clear the front office and coaching staff were very high on the Georgia native.

No matter how high the franchise is on their new quarterback, it’s unlikely they intended to see Mills under center as quickly as week three but that was the case on Thursday night.

On a short week of preparation and playing a much-improved defense in Carolina, Mills completed 68% of his passes and led the team on a couple of nice scoring drives. With the Panthers’ heavy pressure in his face for much of the game, he stood in the pocket and delivered on-time, accurate throws underneath coverage which was clearly the game plan for the rookie.

Showing good timing and a quick delivery on slants, hooks and quick-out routes, Mills stepped out of multiple sacks, set his feet before throwing and was accurate on nearly every throw he attempted. The highlights of the night came late in the first half in a two-minute situation. First, he found Brandin Cooks on a corner route against cover-two where he hit him between the corner and the safety for 30 yards. Next, he threw a slant to Anthony Miller for a two-yard score.

Overall, Mills looked composed throughout the game and delivered when given the chance. While he was under pressure throughout the game, taking four sacks, he didn’t look overwhelmed and took what the defense was giving him and the game plan allowed. As he did in college, he looked at his best when throwing from the pocket with timing and anticipation.

Overall, Thursday night was a good launching point for Mills. Reports out of Houston this week indicate the team plans on opening up the offense more on Sunday against the Bills so we’ll see if he can take a step towards being a long-term option for both the Texans and super-flex dynasty managers.

Mills should be rostered in all super-flex dynasty leagues but at this point isn’t worth anything more than the pick he was selected with in your rookie draft. If he plays well in the coming weeks, however, which isn’t unrealistic based on what we’ve seen to this point, that could change very quickly.

Tommy Tremble, TE CAR

Week Three Stats: one reception, 30 yards (one target), one carry, seven rushing yards, one rushing touchdown

One of my personal favorite late-round picks in rookie drafts over the summer, Tremble profiled as a diamond in the rough coming out of Notre Dame.

Despite catching just 35 passes for 401 yards and four touchdowns in two seasons as a Golden Domer, Tremble lurked in the shadows of Cole Kmet and Michael Mayer which relegated him to blocking duties for much of his 19 career games in South Bend. Despite playing pass-catching understudy, however, he showed a quick first step off the line of scrimmage and out of his breaks and the ability to make contested catches – indicating untapped potential as a receiver. I can’t tell you how many times I saw him running free in the secondary while watching his film only to see Ian Book completely ignore him.

When Tremble ran an impressive 4.59-second time in the 40-yard dash at Notre Dame’s pro day, the fastest by any Fighting Irish tight end in recent memory including Kmet, Tyler Eifert and Kyle Rudolph, he turned heads. That upside made him the fourth tight end off the board in the 2021 NFL Draft, going to Carolina in the middle of the third round.

Considering they only had journeyman Dan Arnold and annual disappointment Ian Thomas on the depth chart, it was a nice landing spot for a developmental tight end. The expectation for Tremble was for him to learn behind veterans until he was ready to take on a larger role. It appears that time has already come.

After glowing reports out of training camp and throughout the preseason, Tremble played just 60 of 213 snaps (28%) over the first three weeks of the regular season but a mini-breakout performance against the Texans on Thursday night led the Panthers to deal Arnold to Jacksonville. This came just days after head coach Matt Rhule compared Tremble to safety Jeremy Chinn – who made an instant impact on Carolina’s defense in 2020, garnering All-Rookie Team honors along the way.

The Arnold trade opens the door for Tremble to take a big leap forward in playing time and potentially as a dynasty asset.

Most likely, Tremble came off the waiver wire this week in all dynasty leagues after managers saw him score a touchdown on a jet sweep and catch a slick 30-yard ball up the sideline on Thursday night but in some shallower leagues, he may still be available. He should be rostered in all 12-team leagues with at least 20-man rosters.

Personally, I feel Tremble’s upside is great enough that managers looking for a developmental tight end make a trade offer this week. Although his value is likely only a future third-round pick at this point, adding him to a deal including other more valuable players is likely the best way to get the new TE1 for the Panthers who just happens to have back end TE1 dynasty upside in the long term.

Rookie Report Card: Davis Mills and Tommy Tremble