FAB 4. The Lessons Of Abraham and Alexander

I love covering the Buccaneers draft for PewterReport.com and always have since first taking this job when our company produced Buccaneer Magazine back in 1995. My first issue when I took over as editor-in-chief was the pre-draft edition in April 1996 where I accurately forecasted California defensive Regan Upshaw to Tampa Bay in the first round of my first-ever mock draft. That gave me the confidence that I could professionally cover an NFL team as the youngest Bucs beat writer at the time when I was 25.

Since then, Buccaneer Magazine/PewterReport.com has hit on dozens of Bucs’ Best Bets and mock draft picks, including this year with Tampa Bay’s selection of White and Dean, who were both Bucs’ Best Bets in our position previews and also in our final 2019 Bucs’ 7-Round Mock Draft. The previous year we hit on defensive tackle Vita Vea, offensive lineman Alex Cappa and wide receiver Justin Watson.

But I have also been wrong when it’s come to covering the Bucs draft too, and I’ve learned a lot of lessons along the way over the past 24 years.

Former Bucs CB Donnie Abraham – Photo by: Getty Images

One of those lessons is that just because I am unfamiliar with a draft prospect or a pick does not mean it’s a bad pick. When the Bucs drafted East Tennessee State cornerback Donnie Abraham in the third round in 1996 I had never heard of him. It would have been easy for me to immediately criticize Tampa Bay’s pick and pan the selection of Abraham in my post-draft grades to cover up for my ignorance, but as it turns out, Abraham became the Bucs’ best cornerback not named Ronde Barber.

Few players make an instant impact on me during the rookie mini-camp, but Abraham and fullback Mike Alstott did just that back in 1996. And when the Bucs traveled to Jacksonville for joint practices with the Jaguars and the rookie cornerback stuck to veteran receiver Andre “Bad Moon” Rison like glue I could tell he was going to be special.

I nicknamed Abraham “The Iceman” on the cover of Buccaneer Magazine as a rookie because he had ice in his veins going up against veteran wide receivers and he never flinched. I think it’s cool that Abraham’s Twitter name is @Iceman__21. Give him a follow, Bucs fans.

Abraham had a Bucs rookie record five interceptions in 1996, and his first one came against John Elway at Mile High Stadium on TNT’s Sunday Night Football. Abraham made one Pro Bowl and finished his Bucs career in 2001 as the all-time interceptions leader with 31 before Barber broke it years later with 47.

In case you’re wondering, Abraham coached defensive backs at East Lake High School (2005-08, 2012) and was the head coach at Gibbs High School (2009-10) and Clearwater High School (2013-14) in the Tampa Bay area, as well as the defensive coordinator at IMG Academy (2015-16) before becoming the defensive backs coach for Lovie Smith in 2017 and then the defensive backs coach for the Orlando Apollos this past year in the now defunct AAF.

There is always a risk drafting small school players, and for every Abraham and Ali Marpet, who played at tiny Hobart College, that wind up as stars, there are Ryan Smith and Greg Peterson from North Carolina Central or Larry Brackins from Pearl River Community College that don’t.

Former Bucs LB Kwon Alexander – Photo by Getty Images

The other lesson I’ve learned is what I call the Alexander lesson, named after Kwon Alexander, who was drafted in the fourth round in 2015. I think that was the last year I did post-draft grades because I had Alexander rated as the worst pick in that draft – below Kenny Bell, sixth-round receiver Kaelin Clay and seventh-round fullback Joey Iosefa. Okay, I probably had Iosefa as the worst pick, but Mark Cook and I looked at each other after Alexander was picked and said, “Huh?”

Alexander had one of the shortest highlight videos I’ve ever seen as he had very modest numbers at LSU in terms of splash plays. As a two-year starter for the Tigers, Alexander had five passes defensed, three forced fumbles, 1.5 sacks, one fumble recovery and no interceptions. The Bucs drafted Alexander for his intensity as a strongside linebacker and his 4.55 speed and striking ability. They thought he could make the transition to middle linebacker, which he did as a rookie, winning the starting job over Bruce Carter, who was a veteran free agent signee that year.

I didn’t think much of the Alexander pick on draft day, but my opinion quickly changed during the rookie mini-camp when I saw him move around on the field. Then I bought into the Alexander hype hook, line and sinker, and PewterReport.com started the buzz around him, suggesting he could overtake Carter as a starter by the start of the season, which he did.

I call these the lessons of Abraham and Alexander, and that’s why I’m hesitant to join the chorus of folks and media pundits who are panning the Bucs’ 2019 draft class right out of the gate.

So how do the lessons of Abraham and Alexander apply to this year’s draft class in Tampa Bay? I’ll admit that I slept on Kentucky safety Mike Edwards and when the Bucs drafted Bowling Green wide receiver Scotty Miller I had never heard of him before.

Edwards didn’t work out at the NFL Scouting Combine or the Kentucky pro day due to injury, so he didn’t have the benefit of any buzz from either the Combine or his pro day. He wound up running a 4.50 at his own pro day later in the spring when he was healthy and that really excited the Bucs.

Bowling Green WR Scotty Miller – Photo courtesy of Bowling Green

Miller’s name didn’t even appear on any pre-draft scouting lists in the NFL prior to the start of the season, and it was Tampa Bay’s area scout that “discovered” Miller. The Bucs’ coveted Miller’s 4.30 speed and kept his name ultra-quiet throughout the draft process because of his sleeper status.

Maybe Edwards is just a guy and isn’t starter material (I actually think he is a starting-caliber player), and the 5-foot-9, 174-pound Miller winds up being too small to play at the NFL. But time will ultimately tell us what happens.

The lessons of Abraham and Alexander tell me to wait and see how they perform at the rookie mini-camp, training camp and the preseason before panning the Bucs selections of Edwards and Miller – or any drafted player this year.