Here we go – now things are getting going for 2014 and I am even more excited than ever to find out what is in store. I have two products each year that I cross off days on my calendar, and we just got a preview for the first of those products in Topps Chrome. Not only is the Topps design for 2014 growing on me, the content they are going with seems to be looking better than ever.

Even though Chrome is not the most costly box of the year, it produces the top chase card that comes out all season long in the autographed Superfractors. To think that Chrome holds more value in its chase cards than products that cost five times the amount is impressive. These Superfractors sell for THOUSANDS each year, regardless if the class is strong or weak. Even the lower numbered refractors and non-autographed cards have value, which continues to be a testament to the loyalty collectors have to this brand.

We are on the verge of a strong rookie class that trumps anything we saw in 2013, and that means that this product has potential to be that much more awesome. The 1985 autographs are easily my favorite addition, and though we aren’t seeing the pictures they will use, they will be awesome. They tried them last year as redemptions in Archives, and the results were quite impressive. If the 2014 Chrome ones turn out half as cool as the ones from 2013 in non-chrome, these could be some of the better on card autos of the year. I cant wait to see the rookies in their NFL uniforms on these cards, including the first on card auto relics of the year with Rookie Premiere pictures on them.

If you buy one product all year, it should be Chrome, and I am not kidding about that at all. You cant beat the thrill of ripping through the packs in a chrome box, and you can do it for less than 80 bucks at release. Cheap thrills don’t even begin to describe what this represents, especially when you see the high quality cards that come out of this product each year.

In 2013, they added in non rookie signatures to the checklist, and I am beyond happy they are back. More players need to have chrome autos, even if they are stickers. I would support raising the cost of the box to include more of them, although I don’t see that happening. Die cuts and minis are back, and I think they chose a good bunch of inserts that far exceed the disasters from 2013. I don’t see a terrible card in the preview, even though we aren’t getting the completed designs without NFL uniforms.

Again – these are just mockups, all cards will be NFL once it comes out.

With each passing year of Bowman, there seems to be an increase in expectations for the biggest pulls of the product. As more and more people look to it for the top valued card of the year in any sport, the reputation of the prospect focused game grows. I mentioned back around release that the Abreu Superfractor auto had been pulled and sold, and now we have the second of the big pulls that was just listed on eBay this week.

Here it is:

2014 Bowman Kris Bryant Auto Superfractor 1/1

Funny enough, the Bryant MINI Superfractor is also up at the same time:

2014 Bowman Kris Bryant Mini Superfractor 1/1

Here is where the normal autos sell for reference – STILL insane:

2014 Bowman Kris Bryant Base Auto RC

2014 Bowman Kris Bryant Green Refractor Auto /75

The Abreu card was bought by Pastime Sports Cards for upcoming release in one of their baseball repack products, and I am happy that there are large buyers out there like this who will give the money to people for their big pulls. Kris Bryant is arguably a much better prospect, age being a large factor. Abreu is having a monster season, and it should not be surprising that his cards are on this level. I have often said that there needs to be more of a “circle of life” for cards in the hobby, as the market to resell wax pulls on eBay seems to be shrinking. If the repack card buying circuit increases the dividends for those people that still bust, I dont see that as a bad thing at all.

In fact, I actually think that many of the repack companies contribute in a way that many of the mainstream companies cannot. If you look at Heroes of Sport, my favorite of the custom product companies, they readily provide an insane level of museum quality pieces available for people to potentially pull in their boxes. Cards on the level like the Kris Bryant are commonly bought for this type of release, as evidenced in the purchase of the Puig super auto last year and the Strasburg Super back in 2010.

I am happy that many of these cards continue to have the value of a small car, as it shows that this market still has some pop. Although its obvious that the 1990s have come and gone for every collectable industry, big pulls still have an allure that will never be diminished as long as the buyers still chase that high.

Will Bryant ever be good? No idea, and from past indications, its a 50/50 shot for many of the top prospects. If Abreu can sell for over 10k, im guessing this will come close.

Now that the NFL Draft is over, there is only one more big offseason event left until the preseason starts as we start to get into the latter half of 2014. After the premiere at the end of May, the only thing left is to get down to business. With that, what do we know going into 2014’s prime?

QBs Will Be a Huge Focus in 2014

Lets face it, to beat the QB class of 2012 is going to be David vs Goliath. The scary thing is that collectors are going to expect one or two of the QBs to take over like those guys did, and I just dont see that happening in this year’s class. Although most of the players drafted in the first few rounds will get on the field as a starter this year, I dont see 5 hitting the field during week 1. That's scary considering that collectors are relatively spoiled from 2012, and could give up early on these guys like we saw last year. Not good. However, it could also spark a resurgence in value for 2013 once we start to make comparisons.

If pre-draft products are any indication, this is going to be a good year:

2014 Leaf Trinity Johnny Manziel Inscription Auto Nickname /15

2014 Upper Deck Blake Bortles Auto SP Retro

2014 Leaf Metal Teddy Bridgewater Sketch Auto 1/1

2014 Upper Deck Derek Carr Auto Letter

Michael Sam is a VERY big deal

I love that he was drafted, but I dont like that he had to wait until round 7. Sam’s game tape far outweighed his awful combine and pro days, and I thought he would end up being a 4th rd grade that gets drafted in the 5th.Either way, the Rams made history, and though his sexual orientation is not a big deal anymore, it brings significant value with it. I think he deserves to go to the premiere, even over guys like Khalil Mack, as it is truly a historic day to see him in his pro uniform. Even if he doesnt make the team – which I think he will – its still going to be a huge story either way.

He is the most valuable 7th rounder in a long time already:

2014 Upper Deck Michael Sam Auto Star Rookie

2014 Press Pass Michael Sam Red Ink Auto

Running Backs are a Dying Breed

After reports that the Vikings are even looking to kick Peterson to the curb after this year, there is a huge sentiment that backs are not even worth checking out anymore. This draft set a record for the lowest drafted RB, and that is only further cementing the days of Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders are behind us. Bishop Sankey and Carlos Hyde look like serviceable players, but both are likely not going to see the action Lacy did last year and Martin and Morris did in 2012. Hyde has to share the load with Gore, and Sankey may not even be an every down back. Interesting to consider that Tre Mason didnt even get taken until round 3, and he was a finalist for the Heisman.

2014 Upper Deck Bishop Sankey Authentics On Card Auto

2014 Leaf Trinity Carlos Hyde Laundry Tag Jumbo Patch Auto

Johnny Manziel has lots to prove

By now, you should know that I dont like Manziel and I dont think he will be successful long term in the league. A site leaked a scouting report from the Pats which highlighted some of the reasons why teams may have passed on him. Even if it isnt real, those evaluation points seem accurate enough that Manziel may not have the drive to learn the nuance of the game to a point where he can be successful. Collectors love him, LeBron loves him, but his playground style doesnt seem to be a good fit when D lineman can run just as fast as the QBs can.

2014 Leaf Metal Johnny Manziel Auto Blue Refractor /50

2014 Leaf Predictor Johnny Manziel Cleveland Auto Redmeption

The Late Draft is BAD for Cards

Brace yourselves, the double zeroes are coming. Because there is now so little time between draft and premiere, the cards just arent going to be done with the same timeframe. Even though we had rookies in double zero uniforms over the last 2 years, I have a distinct feeling its going to be worse than ever for 2014, unless you are a top pick. The reason 00 jerseys have to happen is that card companies are no longer allowed to assign numbers to players unless it is official from the team. If there is no official number, they have to wear 00 in all cards until the number becomes official – or something like that. Its why cards like Inception and Prestige always have 00 jerseys.

Here are some examples from the past:

2012 Topps Platinum Russell Wilson Auto On Card

2013 Topps Inception Geno Smith Auto /25
Im ridiculously excited already for football season, and its not even June. I think 2014 is going to be a banner year for cards, and not because the draft class is even anything special. I just hope the collecting public feels the same way after last year.

If you havent already guessed, I think Leaf Trinity is a pretty awesome product for the pre-season, better than many of the ones we have seen from other companies with licenses in tact. They have added some elements to it for the 2014 releases, but the old favorites are back, and I could not be happier. My favorite cards are the inscriptions each year, and here are some of my favorites for each player. The rest of the product also looks damn good with the jumbo patch autos and glass cards. Johnny Manziel Cleveland may not be the best team now that Josh Gordon is likely going to be suspended, but Manziel should fit nicely. He has a chip on his shoulder as number 22, and its going to be interesting to see how he does. 2014 Leaf Trinity Johnny Manziel Printing Plate Inscription Auto 1/1 2014 Leaf Trinity Johnny Manziel Auto Heisman Trophy Inscription 2014 Leaf Trinity Johnny Manziel Auto Pure Glass Jadeveon Clowney He has been talked about like he is the greatest prospect on the D line since Reggie White, and time will tell if he ends up being as good as everyone says. 2014 Leaf Trinity Jadeveon Clowney Career Sacks Inscription Auto /10 2014 Leaf Trinity Jadeveon Clowney Printing Plate Inscription Auto 1/1 Sammy Watkins Im a huge fan of Watkins, but not a huge fan of Buffalo. I will be watching him to see if him and Manuel can sync up and make the wonderful plays that the bills were hoping for when they traded next year’s pick. 2014 Leaf Trinity Sammy Watkins Thank You Coach Inscription Auto 2014 Leaf Trinity Sammy Watkins Pure Glass Auto Blake Bortles Sad he ended up in Jacksonville as I have said, but they did get some weapons for him in Marquise Lee and a few other receivers. 2014 Leaf Trinity Blake Bortles Go Knights Inscription Auto 2014 Leaf Trinity Blake Bortles Career Stats Inscription Auto Teddy Bridgewater Im obviously going to be chasing Bridgewater all year, lets just hope he grows out of this T- B- trash he has been signing in some releases so far this year. 2014 Leaf Trinity Teddy Bridgewater Auto Logo Patch 2014 Leaf Trinity Teddy Bridgewater Auto MVP Inscription Just based on the sales I have seen so far, its clear this is going to be a MUUUUCH better year than 2013. Although 2012 was very much more top heavy, some of these rookies may end up being more balanced than some of the back end of the best year ever. Im excited for sure.

Now that day one of the draft is over, I feel as though we have quite a bit clearer of a picture as to how the 2014 card year is going to shake out. Already with 3 QBs and 5 WR taken in round one, we have a better outlook for skill position players, and that is a very good thing. Here is my take on last night.

Johnny Manziel – Winner

Most people would say that the fact Manziel dropped to 22 was a bad thing, I actually think it likely helped his exposure, as the entire night was spent talking about how much of a big deal he was. In my opinion, he is one of the most overblown players in the draft for a while, but you cant argue with popularity. He will be popular in 2014 among collectors, and Cleveland actually has some hardcore fans out there. We should all be happy its not Jacksonville, but a bit sad he didn’t end up in Dallas.

2014 Leaf Trinity Johnny Manziel Jumbo Patch Auto

2014 Leaf Metal Johnny Manziel Auto Purple Refractor /25

2014 Press Pass Johnny Manziel Auto Red Ink Inscription

Blake Bortles – Loser

It should be painfully obvious that Bortles is not walking into a great position in Jacksonville, and even more of an issue in terms of his collectability in the barren wasteland of value. I would easily say that the Jaguars are the least collected team in the league, and the fact that the top QB went that direction is bad news. It doesn’t help that they have no weapons with Blackmon likely missing another year, and that could not be a worse situation for a new guy.

2014 Leaf Trinity Blake Bortles Glass Auto

2014 Leaf Trinity Blake Bortles Jumbo Patch Auto

Teddy Bridgewater – Winner

This could actually be a very good situation for Minnesota, as they didn’t have to draft him at 8 (lessening the pressure), but they also traded up to get him. Vikings fans are RABID in collecting their guys, and Bridgewater just became a very hot commodity around the hobby. The fact that he was also a first rounder is a big deal, even if it was the last pick. You just want that title on your resume regardless. He may not be the next Andrew Luck, but he will play and likely be moderately successful. It may take a year, which will be good for my wallet.

2014 Leaf Trinity Teddy Bridgewater Inscription Auto /5

2014 Leaf Metal Teddy Bridgewater Sketch Auto 1/1

Buffalo Bills – Loser

Did they get a top WR in the draft? Yes, no doubt about it. Did they get completely raped in the trade to get him? Check and check. Watkins is a top guy, but to give up next year’s one is crazy talk to move up less than 10 picks. Watkins is awesome, but that type of decision can haunt a guy for his entire career. Look at what the Rams are doing with all the picks they got for RGIII. Ghosts of that trade linger in Washington.

2014 Leaf Trinity Sammy Watkins Jumbo Patch Auto /10

2014 Upper Deck Sammy Watkins Star Rookie Auto

Running Backs – Loser

Another year without a first round back taken, and it may continue into round 3, which is insanity. This only goes to show what happens to Running Backs not named Peterson, and I am beyond sad that is the case. Carlos Hyde is probably the top guy in the class, but Tre Mason is a big name to contend with. You never know what might happen.

2014 Leaf Trinity Tre Mason Glass Auto /23

2014 Upper Deck Carlos Hyde Auto Letter

Ill have more coverage on rounds 2 and 3 tomorrow – stay tuned for draft news all weekend long.