With round one in the books, its always fun to watch the team collectors go nuts over the guys that were drafted by them. It literally becomes a feeding frenzy, especially if the guy is a skill player that has potential to produce right away. Even though we all had a good idea that Cam Newton was going to go number 1, now that he is actually a Panther, you can bet that many of the Carolina collectors want to buy in now. Also, because there were so many surprises that no one could have predicted, many of the collectors are feeding on the hype like its a tasty steak.  That is the nature of the beast though.

The great thing about today is that there were a lot of people who have bought 2011 Leaf Metal and 2011 Upper Deck with the idea that now was going to be the best time to sell for the top guys.  As a result, there has been a lot of movement in prices on eBay. Obviously, the most significant rise and falls have been with the QBs, but they are not the only ones who are seeing a spike or a drop.

Cam Newton – 1st Overall – Carolina

Value Before the Draft: Upper Deck Auto

Value After the Draft: Upper Deck Auto

Change: About the same as before

Newton was the consensus overall first pick for a while now, so you can see why his value really hasn’t changed all that much. If he has initial success in the preseason or the regular season, even if its slight, values will jump considerably.

AJ Green – 4th Overall – Cincinnati

Value Before the Draft: Leaf Metal Auto

Value After the Draft: Leaf Metal Auto

Change: About the Same

Not much needs to be said here. Green was expected to go high, and he did. I don’t see much change either way.

Julio Jones – 6th Overall – Atlanta

Value Before the Draft: Upper Deck Letter Auto

Value After the Draft: Upper Deck Letter Auto

Change: On the Rise

When it comes to a team giving up a ton to draft a guy where they already have an impact player, people are going to take notice. I expect as the season gets closer, Jones’ cards will go higher than they are right now, as more people will see that the Falcons picked up another game changer.

Jake Locker – 8th Overall – Tennessee

Value before the Draft: Upper Deck Auto

Value After the Draft: Upper Deck Auto

Change: On the Rise

Locker had a following at UW, and his value was high to begin with before the draft even started. Now that he is a Titan, he value has gone up a little bit, something that is expected when he ist drafted ahead of a guy like Blaine Gabbert.

Blaine Gabbert – 10th Overall – Jacksonville

Value Before the Draft: Upper Deck Letter Auto

Value After the Draft: Upper Deck Letter Auto

Change: Falling

The reason I say that Gabbert was a guy who lost on day one of the draft, at least in terms of hobby value, is because Jacksonville is one of the least collected teams in the NFL. He was also leapfrogged by Locker, which was not the expectation of anyone going into yesterday. The guy may end up being great, but even elite Jags never sell. Take Mojo Drew as an example, as he has been a top RB in the league for a long time. His value is minimal because of who he plays for.

Christian Ponder – 12th Overall – Minnesota

Value Before the Draft: Upper Deck Letter Auto

Value After the Draft: Upper Deck Letter Auto

Change: Heavily on the Rise

I have said before that Vikings fans are rabid, myself included. Ponder may have been a complete reach, but the former FSU QB is wearing purple for now, and that is all that matters to Vikings collectors. Eventually, his value will settle down, but when a guy is projected 2nd round, and is drafted at the top of round 1, his value is going to spike.

Mark Ingram – 28th Overall – New Orleans

Value Before the Draft: Upper Deck Letter Auto

Value After the Draft: Upper Deck Letter Auto

Change: On the Rise

Ingram being drafted by a team like the Saints is a great situation. It’s a no doubter. Plus, with all the collectors that jumped on the Saints bandwagon a few years ago, his value should see a pretty big spike.

Draft Day 1 Value Losers:

Da’Quan Bowers – He isnt even an offensive player, but his already inexpensive cards just got that much more inexpensive
Ryan Mallett – Seattle was looking at him and passed, same with a few other teams. If Mallett goes early in round 2 he could see a spike, but right now, its not looking good. He could end up falling all the way through Rd 2.
Andy Dalton – Dalton was slotted as high as mid first round, but he fell straight out of the first 32 picks. He will go early in day 2, but his value’s potential definitely just took a hit.
Colin Kaepernick – See above.
Kyle Rudolph – Even though he is a tight end, he was supposed to be this year’s only first round TE pick. As it stands right now, he may have to wait awhile today before hearing his name.