The rookies have arrived! During the 2017 NFL Draft late last month, the NFL welcomed its next class of performers. Seemingly every prospect in the class had spent several months being assessed and evaluated in every way possible – by football card collectors.
The rookies have arrived! During the 2017 NFL Draft late last month, the NFL welcomed its next class of performers. Seemingly every prospect in the class had spent several months being assessed and evaluated in every way possible – by football card collectors.
The results of that scrutiny dominate the rookie rankings on the just-released NFLPA Panini Trading Card Index for the first quarter of 2017. Top-rated skill position draft picks headline the initial list with Leonard Fournette (LSU), Deshaun Watson (Clemson), Mitch Trubisky (North Carolina), Christian McCaffrey (Stanford) and Dalvin Cook (Florida State) comprising the top five. The first rookie rankings of 2017 (complete list below) are based on the fervent trading activity surrounding Panini America’s two collegiate football products: 2017 Elite Draft Picks Football and 2017 Contenders Draft Picks Football.
“Being selected in the 2017 NFL Draft was a dream come true, and I can’t wait to show what I can do at the next level,” said Fournette, the top-ranking player on the NFLPA Panini Trading Card Index for Rookies for the first quarter of 2017. “To be the number one rookie on the Trading Card Index just confirms the incredible amount of fan support I’ve received in the early stages of my career.”
The arrival of the 2017 rookie class has forced a major shakeup on the veteran list this quarter as last season’s top rookies (including Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and Carson Wentz) transition to the veteran list. One thing that hasn’t changed this quarter? New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is still No. 1 in the veteran rankings, a spot he’s held on four of the five NFLPA Panini Trading Card Indexes published to date.
Panini America, the exclusive trading card manufacturer of the NFL and NFL Players Association (NFLPA), and NFL Players Inc., the licensing and marketing arm of the NFLPA, created the Panini NFLPA Trading Card Index in 2016 as a way to rank the top-performing football players (15 rookies, 15 veterans) in the licensed trading card industry. Once a quarter, the NFLPA Panini Trading Card Index will rank players based on several key factors, including secondary-market transactions, overall trading volume and collectibility based on on-field performance and expectations (e.g., rookie hype and collector speculation).
Key sales driving the final rookie rankings this quarter include a one-of-a-kind 2017 Contenders Draft Picks Football Leonard Fournette autograph card that sold for $1,600 and a 2017 Contenders Draft Picks Football Deshaun Watson autograph card limited to just 23 copies that sold for $700. On the veteran side, a 2000 Contenders Football Tom Brady autographed Rookie Card limited to just 100 copies sold for a staggering $24,500. A one-of-a-kind Ezekiel Elliott autographed card from 2016 National Treasures Football changed hands for $3,704.
The 2017 NFLPA Panini Trading Card Index: Rookies (1Q)
- Leonard Fournette, LSU
- Deshaun Watson, Clemson
- Mitch Trubisky, North Carolina
- Christian McCaffrey, Stanford
- Dalvin Cook, Florida State
- Patrick Mahomes II, Texas Tech
- John Ross, Washington
- Corey Davis, Western Michigan
- Jabrill Peppers, Michigan
- Mike Williams, Clemson
- Deshone Kizer, Notre Dame
- Joe Mixon, Oklahoma
- Samaje Perine, Oklahoma
- JuJu Smith Schuster, USC
- Davis Webb, California
The 2017 NFLPA Panini Trading Card Index: Veterans (1Q)
- Tom Brady, New England Patriots
- Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
- Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
- Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packer
- Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles
- Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders
- Le’Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
- Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams
- Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
- Von Miller, Denver Broncos
- Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints
- J. Watt, Houston Texans
- Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Evan Engram will be near the top of this list for rookies in no time at all.
GIANTS!