13. Buccaneers CB Donnie Abraham – 1996-2001

By Scott Reynolds

When he left the Bucs in 2001, Abraham was regarded as the best cornerback in Tampa Bay history. The third-round pick from East Tennessee State in 1996 was a starter during his rookie season, which was quite a feat under defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, who didn’t play many rookies, and set the Bucs rookie record for interceptions with five. Abraham’s first ever pick came against Denver legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway in prime time on TNT’s Sunday Night Football.

Bucs CB Donnie Abraham (Photo by Robert Rogers/Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

In his six years in Tampa Bay, Abraham set the franchise record with 31 interceptions. Ronde Barber, who amassed 47 picks in his 16-year career as a Buccaneer, would eventually break Abraham’s record and move him down into second place. Abraham also scored three defensive touchdowns, which is tied for the fifth-most in team history.

Although the Bucs played a great deal of Tampa 2 zone defense during the late 1990s and early 2000s, Abraham had great man coverage skills and was regarded as the team’s shutdown cornerback during his time in red and pewter. He played a large role in getting the Buccaneers to the playoffs in 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2001, and Abraham helped the Tampa Bay defense prevail against some of the high-powered offenses and potent wide receiver duos in the NFC Central division, such as those found in Green Bay, Minnesota and Detroit.

Reynolds’ Take: “I nicknamed Abraham ‘The Iceman’ because he was always so cool in coverage, even as a rookie, while going up against some of the greatest receivers in the NFL like Herman Moore, Randy Moss, Cris Carter, Donald Driver and Antonio Freeman. The guy had ice in his veins and no assignment was too big. Abraham had some of the smoothest hips, quickest feet, greatest anticipation and some of the best hands ever found in a Tampa Bay cornerback. He’s clearly the second-best corner in Bucs history behind Ronde Barber.”