Five All-Time Players Who Slid in the NFL Draft and the Card Impact
Projected to be a top-5 pick by some draft experts, Shedeur Sanders is still on the board as the second round begins. While he's the latest culprit of the dreaded draft day slide, the flashy quarterback from Colorado is one of many to have been drafted way under expectations.
#5 - Geno Smith (2012)
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Geno Smith had an immaculate season his senior year at West Virginia. A three-year starter he threw for more than 3,000 yards and a ridiculous 42 touchdowns in 2012. Early reports, and up until draft day he was slated as a possible No. 1 pick to the Kansas City Chiefs, and even after that there were many quarterback needy teams including the Jaguars (No. 2), Raiders (No. 3), Eagles (No. 4), Bills (No. 8) and the Jets (Nos. 9 and 13).
After the early part of the draft, teams who were choosing at the back end of the first round weren't in market for a quarterback. So Smith went undrafted after the first round. Ironically, it was the New York Jets, who had two first round picks, that chose Smith with the seventh pick of the second round, No. 39 overall.
Smith has seen a career resurgance in the last few years, including a NFL Comeback Player of The Year Award in and a Pro Bowl invite in 2022. He made the Pro Bowl again the next season.
One of his best cards is his PSA 10, 2013 Topps Chrome Refractor. It's a beautiful card distributed just before the NFL licensing went exclusively to Panini. This piece can be bought for about $40, according previous sales on eBay sold listings.
#4 - Brady Quinn (2007)
Brady Quinn was a standout quarterback at Notre Dame. He is also an Ohio native, with the Browns sitting at the No. 3 spot in the 2007 draft. Experts projected him to go to Cleveland with a possible floor pick by the Dolphins at No. 9. The Browns went another route at No. 3 when they took perennial Pro Bowler Joe Thomas. And the Dolphins came and gone and took widereceiver Ted Ginn jr.
Quinn wasn't taken until the No. 22 pick, when the Browns traded with Dallas to get back in the first round and take the Ohio native. But this would be the high point of his career in the NFL, as he lasted just two season in Cleveland before bouncing around the league until her retired in 2014.
Given his modest NFL career, Brady Quinn cards are definitely affordable to even the most penny pinched collector. One of his nicer rookie cards, his 2007 refractor autograph, is available for around $30, according to a search of eBay sold listings.
#3 - Randy Moss (1998)
While most people reserve Jerry Rice as the best reciever in NFL history, you could argue that title should go to Randy Moss. The electric receiver from Marshall could beat anyone off the line and had the height and vertical jump to battle any defensive back. But all that didn't stop Moss from sliding all the way to the Vikings at No. 21 overall in the 1998 NFL Draft.
The issue wasn't talent. Clearly he was built like, and performed like a legit Pro Bowl deep threat. It was off the field issues. While he ended up having little to know issues as a pro football player off the field, the pre-draft discussions dissuaded many teams (including the Cowboys who told Moss they would take him) from picking him.
Moss was a rookie during an integral upgrade to the card industry. He came into the league as companies were doing more chromium cards, refractors, numbered parallels, and pack pulled autographs. Collectors of Moss would want one of his chrome refractor rookies. A classic design and clean finish, this card, according to Card Ladder last sold for $2,350 on April 16th of this year.
#2 - Dan Marino (1983)
Dan Marino was a member of one of the famous drafts in NFL history. He was drafted with the likes of John Elway, Jim Kelly, Ken O'Brien, and Tony Eason. While he was probably the most talent quarterback in the draft his stock took a hit after a subpar senior season at Pitt. While he threw for 400 less yards than his junior year, his touchdown numbers plummeted when he threw for 20 less scores than the year before, albeit with the same amount (23) of interceptions.
Although he didn't have much playoff success, Marion, after being taken by Miami with the No. 27 overall pick, went on to have one of the best careers in NFL history.
Being a draftee of the 80s there aren't many cards to choose from. But it's the iconic 1984 Topps set where you can find his most desirable rookie card. It's a classic card, along with other quarterbacks of the 83 draft, and this one is valued around $4,000. It's the condition sensitve old card stock, and the fact that it's more than 40 years old that the Gem MT 10s yield so much value. Last sold, according to Card Ladder, was for $4,325 on April 14.
#1 - Aaron Rodgers (2004)
Footage of Aaron Rodgers sitting in the green room at the 2004 NFL Draft is still played every year during draft time. Rodgers, who some had projected to go No. 1 overall sat and sat, until the Packers, who still had Brett Favre took him at No. 24.
Rodgers started modestly at Butte College in Oroville, Oregon. But after a scout was in attendance at one of his games to look at another player, recruited him to Cal. He played there for two season and threw for 5,469 yards and 43 touchdowns.
But after the 49ers picked Alex Smith with the top pick, Rodgers fell.
He was ulitmately drafted by the Packers, and after sitting for a few years got his chance and turned into a hall of fame career. The card to own is the classic 2005 Topps. It's simple, sees Rodgers in his practice gear and red quarterback shirt and can be bought for around $150. The last recorded sale was for $144.63 and was on April 22, according to Card Ladder.
Your draft spot doesn't determine your career. As illustrated by Brock Purdy and Tom Brady. It's your performance. And wherever Shedeur Sanders lands, it will be his skill and performance that determines his career and his overall collectiblity and card value.
After graduating from the University of North Dakota in 2008, Cole worked as an advertising copywriter until shifting to print journalism a few years later. Managing three weekly newspapers in the Dakotas, Cole won numerous awards from the North Dakota Newspaper Association including Best of the Dakotas and, their top award, General Excellence. He returned to collecting in 2021 and has since combined his passion for writing with his love of cards. Cole also writes for the Sports Cards Nonsense newsletter and has made guest appearances on multiple sports card collecting podcasts including Sports Cards Nonsense, and the Eephus Baseball Cards Podcast. IG: coleryan411 X: @colebenz