NFL Draft football card guide: What we know about cards for Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter and more

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Three quarterbacks flying off the board within the top three picks brought a heightened anticipation for sports card collectors heading into the 2024 NFL Draft. Teams followed the suspected roadmap with Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye going 1-2-3 a year ago.

The unexpected treat occurred when potential Day 2 quarterback prospects like Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. vaulted into the top 12 selections. Adding J.J. McCarthy into the group then supplied the QB-centric football card world with arguably the most plentiful chase in years — one that remains strong as both Daniels and McCarthy were among the five most searched athletes on eBay across all sports in March (with Michael Jordan, Caitlin Clark, and Victor Wembanyama).

Can the 2025 NFL Draft quarterback class come even close to replicating last year’s hobby excitement? Doubtful. That doesn’t mean it will be impossible to unearth more than one sought after quarterback in this year’s class.

Miami’s Cam Ward seems like the no-brainer No. 1 pick by the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night in Green Bay. Where any other quarterback lands will be the most curious storyline through this weekend’s three-day, seven-round draft.

Could Ward be the only quarterback selected in the first round? Will Colorado’s Shadeur Sanders go in the top 10? Will Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart make his way into the first round? Or even Louisville’s Tyler Shough? Where will notable college names like Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, Ohio State’s Will Howard and Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard end up?

Could any of the above players fly off the board earlier than expected this year like Penix (No. 52 overall prospect last year) and Nix (No. 44)? If so, they would instantly become more attractive to football card collectors.

Here’s a look at the most expensive public card sales, via Card Ladder as of April 21, for The Athletic’s top 10 quarterback prospects:

The first NFL cards to be released typically occur in late summer in sets like Select and Score from Panini. More anticipated sets like Panini Prizm usually happen around December. Topps should also print another round of unlicensed (no team names or logos) products as it did last season, before the company takes on NFL licensing in early 2026.

This is where finding specific players’ autographed cards in products could be tricky once again.

Panini nailed down exclusive autograph contracts with Colorado wideout/cornerback Travis Hunter and quarterback Sanders. The company wouldn’t reveal any other specific players that will sign cards within their products, telling The Athletic that more than 200 potential NFL Draft picks are under contract and will be signing cards in the coming months.

A Topps spokesperson said more information on NFL Draft picks who will sign for the company’s products will be provided at a later date.

There’s been no public indication as to which products will include autographs from Ward or any quarterbacks other than Sanders. This also leaves autographs in question for Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, the most notable skill position prospect outside of Hunter and the quarterbacks.

College autographed cards for Ward and Dart reside in Topps’ Bowman University (licensed) and Panini sets (unlicensed). Sanders’ college autographed cards also primarily came with Bowman U products, but anything new from Sanders moving forward will be on Panini cards. 

Last year, Topps secured exclusive autograph card rights for Williams, Daniels and Maye, along with other top prospects like New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers and Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers. Meanwhile, McCarthy and Penix headlined Panini’s autographed rookie cards in licensed 2024 products. 

Outside of the quarterbacks, Hunter and Jeanty should easily be the most collectible prospects within the 2025 NFL Draft class. Hunter is the No. 1 overall prospect by The Athletic, and Jeanty isn’t far behind at No. 3. Penn State tight end Tyler Warren also should enter the conversation since he ranks No. 8.

The most expensive card sales for Hunter and Jeanty far exceed those of any other college player in this year’s class. Hunter’s 2023 Bowman U Best of ‘23 Red Lava autographed card numbered to five with a gem mint 10 grade from PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) sold for $12,000 on Jan. 5 through eBay. Jeanty’s 2024 Bowman U Chrome Superfractor one-of-one autographed card with a PSA 7 grade sold for $8,540 on March 29 through Goldin.

Autographed cards, rookie patch auto cards, rookie parallel cards and popular Panini inserts (Donruss Downtown, Absolute KaBoom!, Prizm Manga, Obsidian Color Blast) should all be valuable cards for both players. On-field production will affect non-QB skill position player card values far more quickly than quarterbacks, though.

Bowers’ most expensive card sale in the last 90 days stands at $13,100, Nabers’ most expensive card sale went $11,500, via Market Movers. No other skill position players come close. Those two players commanded higher top sales than Nix ($10,000) within the same period. So there is still a lucrative market to be had for players like Hunter, Jeanty and Warren if they produce during their rookie campaigns.

Now if Hunter plays primarily at cornerback and only sparingly at wide receiver, then that could negatively impact his card value. Even elite current cornerbacks lack significant interest within the hobby. That’s not the case for wide receivers and tight ends, with veterans like Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson and Travis Kelce maintaining staying power at their positions. 

Last year, 10 of the top 13 players selected played either quarterback, wide receiver, or tight end. That’s a huge number for those in the hobby collecting top valued rookie cards. That number could be cut in half this year making the attractiveness of this rookie class potentially less savory.

Ward is the primary reason this rookie class for card collectors might not be as lackluster as the 2022 NFL Draft since he’ll likely be the No. 1 pick.

No team selected a quarterback anywhere near No. 1 in 2022. Kenny Pickett was the first quarterback off the board at No. 20. The next quarterbacks weren’t selected until Round 3: Desmond Ridder, Malik Willis, Matt Corral. Only seven total quarterbacks and wide receivers landed in Round 1. At least Brock Purdy, “Mr. Irrelevant” as the last pick of the draft, turned injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo into good for himself and his card market. He’s had four known card sales of more than $100,000 over the last two years. 

The return of Patrick Mahomes’ autographed cards aside, Ward will at least give the hobby one reason to turn to 2025 NFL products. And if it’s not another quarterback, Hunter and Jeanty seem like viable options given their top price points.

The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission.

(Top photo: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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