Last night was truly a ridiculous cavalcade of trades and intrigue unlike we have seen in a long time. With the new wage scale in place, there are going to continue to be huge opportunities for teams to move up and down in the draft, as long as they have some sort of bait that they can give a team ahead of them. Many of the trades didn’t impact hobby values all that much, but two may have eventual ripple effects that mean both good and bad things for two rookies.
Both Justin Blackmon and Trent Richardson went into the first round last night as potential top 5 picks. Each had a legit shot at ending up number 3 overall, and neither was going to fall past 6 under any stretch of the imagination. When the Browns flip flopped with Minnesota to secure Richardson, it was a very good thing for collectors across the hobby, if not only because of team affiliation. The Browns have a rabid fan base that widely collects their players, more so than a team like St. Louis or Tampa Bay. As a result, even before stepping foot on a practice field, Richardson’s value increased. His specific situation is one that frequently happens, and to be honest, the only other place he could have done better was if the Vikings had picked him up.
Trent Richardson Press Pass Auto RC
Blackmon on the other hand could not have ended up in a worse situation, as Jacksonville is a wasteland of both value and player talent. As a newer team, their fan base is not as established, and years of mediocrity have not helped either. Blackmon’s skill and potential will generate buzz and value on their own, but he may have ended up on the worst possible value team in the league. Maurice Jones Drew has been a top back for years, and even after that, he is relatively worthless around the hobby in the grand scheme of things. Blaine Gabbert is another, more recent example, even before his awful season took effect. Jacksonville’s fan base is both small and rather apathetic, and without a huge college program behind him, the potential will be all that he has.
Here are some recent examples:
Justin Blackmon Upper Deck SP RC Auto
Justin Blackmon Upper Deck Letter Auto /25
Justin Blackmon Press Pass Red Ink Auto
Hopefully the second and third round will add to the value of the teams like Dallas, Pittsburgh, New England, and even Minnesota as its obvious that a rabid fan base of collectors can add multipliers to value. There are still a lot of great QBs, wide receivers and running backs available, and if they end up with some popular teams, this could be an even better draft than where it was originally slated.
Your homer mentality is blinding you. Minny does not have a strong collector base compared to other teams. AP was the exception, not the rule. A team like GB has a much stronger collecting base, but none of their 3 top picks will be at the Premiere.
I don’t agree with everything you say about the Jaguars (things are not as bad in Jax as the lazy reporting national media portrays), but for sure it’s a great team to collect due to the lower prices. It’s funny how all the networks treated Blackmon as if he died Friday. Since his selection you don’t hear any mention of him. Not much credit given to the Jaguars either for pulling off the trade by only giving up a 4th round pick. The Jaguars’ team and fan base are on the upswing and will get more respect when they are perennial playoff contenders. In the meantime I’ll enjoy feasting on bargain Blackmon deals. Go Jags!
“The two biggest myths in the NFL right now are that Tim Tebow can play quarterback and that Blaine Gabbert can’t”. – Pete Prisco
Between the Broncos drafting Peyton’s assumed relacement and a smaller, speedy back, there is a LOT of 2012 collecting buzz in Colorado! 2012 Upper Deck caught fire right after the picks!