Rising Stars: Three Panthers who could take the leap to stardom in 2022

Head coach Matt Rhule believes, “the sky’s the limit” for the young Swiss army knife tight end. Additionally, Tremble thinks that McAdoo’s offense will only help him develop. 

“I think McAdoo’s offense brings a lot of versatility to us – something we may not have had as much last year,” Tremble said. “It really just lets us play football, and for every situation we’ve got a solution.”

Tremble said that he has worked on becoming a more complete player this offseason. He is focusing on his route running and catching ability, according to Panthers.com. Expect Tremble to be used as a versatile blocker as well as a pass catcher who specializes in the flats, curls and red zone. 

CB Jaycee Horn

Jaycee Horn is a dawg. If you know Panthers football, then you know that. No. 8 Horn was drafted eighth overall in 2021 in large part because of his freakish athleticism.

Horn had the second-highest Raw Athletic Score of any corner since 1987 at 9.99 out of 10. He had a 4.39 40-yard dash and 19 reps on the bench. This is in the 86th percentile for corners according to Mockdraftable. Horn has elite speed, strength, and instincts at cornerback. 

To prove those instincts haven’t been diminished as he rehabbed from his ACL tear, the Panthers posted this video of Horn performing an unthinkable one-handed catch on the sideline during his latest workout.

If you look closely, Horn snags the ball with his left hand before dragging his toe to stay in bounds. It’s safe to say that “Eight Ball” is officially back, and the 22-year-old ball hawk will look to prove why he was a top-10 pick. Don’t be surprised if Horn is near the top of the league’s interception rankings this season. 

DE Yetur Gross-Matos

Yetur Gross-Matos has spent most of his first two NFL seasons in the shadow of giants. Brian Burns and Haason Reddick combined for 20 sacks last season, and Gross-Matos had less playing time as a result. However, he performed when he played, racking up 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble, 28 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, and 4 QB hits on 347 snaps. In comparison, Brian Burns played 785 snaps and had 9.0 sacks and 50 tackles.  

At 6’5” 265 lbs, Gross-Matos boasts surprising athleticism and burst, earning an 86th percentile broad jump for defensive ends, according to Mockdraftable. That agility and his quick reaction time form a lightning-fast first step. If he’s able to beat the tackle off the line, then he’ll use his massive 34 ⅞-inch arms, in the 92nd percentile, to keep the linemen’s hands from engaging.

Here’s a clip of him doing just that in his rookie season against the Cardinals. Gross-Matos gets off the line quickly, recognizes he has outside leverage on the tackle, and rips his arm through the block to force a fumble on Kyler Murray. 

The Penn State product has been learning under Burns, one of the most successful speed rushers in the league, for two seasons. Now he will finally get a starting hack at the sack pinata opposite Burns (because if you hit enough quarterbacks, millions of dollars fall out). 

In all seriousness, Gross-Matos has the agility and instincts to be a fantastic edge in both pass protection and run stuffing, the latter being an area that has always eluded Burns. In fact, Gross-Matos thinks that he can be one of the best edges in the league if he can just keep himself healthy.

“I feel like I could be one of the better players in this league,” Gross-Matos said. He added, “I feel like I’m definitely ready to make the jump going into this season. I just have to focus on keeping myself on the field. I’ll be able to produce when I’m out there.” 

Conclusion

These three starters are all under 25 years old and none have more than two years’ experience. However, they each have something to prove in 2022. Gross-Matos finally gets his chance at a full-time starting edge role. Tremble goes into year two with high expectations and many roles to fill. Meanwhile, Jaycee Horn will prove why he deserves to wear number eight. He will be using that Mamba Mentality to come back better than ever after a torn ACL.