Pewter Report's Top 50 All-Time Bucs: No. 42 - LT Donald Penn

The Iron Man Left Tackle Who Brought Grit To The Bucs’ Blind Side

Donald Penn wasn’t supposed to be that guy – an undrafted free agent out of Utah in 2006, waived by the Vikings before ever playing a down. But the Bucs scooped him up that same year, and by 2007, Penn became their starting left tackle. From there, Penn anchored the Bucs’ blind side for the better part of a decade with the kind of durability and edge Tampa Bay fans came to appreciate.

Penn started 108 straight games at left tackle from 2007 to 2013. That’s iron man stuff. During that stretch, Penn became known for his tough-as-nails pass protection with his underrated athleticism. He stood up to guys like Julius Peppers and Jared Allen on a regular basis and didn’t flinch. More often than not, Penn kept the jersey clean for whoever was under center – whether it was Jeff Garcia, Josh Freeman, or a rotating cast of Bucs QBs.

Not only did Penn help lead plenty of scoring drives in Tampa Bay, he also finished off a couple himself, catching a pair of touchdowns on tackle-eligible passes. Penn made his first Pro Bowl in 2010, becoming the first offensive tackle in Bucs history to earn the honor at the time. He ended his Tampa run in 2013 with 112 games played, all but one of them starts.

After his Bucs tenure, Penn played two more seasons in Oakland, earning two more Pro Bowl berths.

Donald Penn wasn’t a high profile left tackle, but he was durable, nasty, and dependable. In an era of turnover and turmoil in Tampa Bay, he was a constant – and one of the best undrafted free agent signings in franchise history.