Each year, the companies invite around thirty players to Los Angeles to don their pro uniforms for the first time and take the photos used in the 2010 product calendar. This year, the total number of players present at the rookie premiere was the highest it has ever been, and although it affords the companies more people to work with, it creates a huge number of players that can KILL a box break. Not every box can have Tim Tebow or Jahvid Best, but most boxes do have some of the lower tier guys from the premiere. The reason so many players are at the premiere is to keep autograph costs down, especially when players like Bradford and Tebow charge as much as they do per card. When you factor in that a guy who wont make an impact can still fill the role of a box hit, it becomes much more cost effective to put him in the same company as the top tier guys. In fact, the top value guys of the class charge so much, that they have to be inserted at a much lesser rate, so that your box has THAT much more of chance of being a dud.

I have always said that I would much rather see higher costs on the box and less players at the premiere, but I would definitely be in the minority on that one. People already think that cost is too high, and really its more because of content for that money instead of actual money. If you got a great player in every box, cost probably wouldn’t be the issue that it is. Because so many people pay a hundred bucks a box and pull crap, they think cost is too high. If you raised the price and included better content, I think it changes the nature of the objection. 15 guys at the premiere instead of 35, would make a whole lot of difference to someone like me. But, people want more content and they don’t want to have to pay for it. I am willing to pay for it, especially when I have to jump on the grenade every time I open wax.

So, with that, here is my list of guys that were the worst of the worst at the premiere. These guys can destroy your wax buzz, so be careful when choosing which box you are going to buy. Maybe before you go spend that 90 bucks on that rehashed design 4 hit Panini box, you will think twice before you buy it.

Marcus Easley – 4th round pick, Buffalo Bills

Easley went to a college with a small following and was drafted in a late round. He is not a running back and is already behind many of the guys on the depth chart for one of the worst teams in the league. When you cant crack the starting lineup on a terrible team, or even make a catch to start the year, he is going to murder any chance you have at getting a good value out of your box

Ben Tate – 2nd Round Pick, Houston Texans

Tate is on this list because he blew out his knee before the season started. He still has potential later on in his career, but lets be honest, no one wants to buy into a guy who isnt on the field right now. His cards have already hit the cellar, and there is no guarantee he will ever be able to bounce back completely.

Montario Hardesty – 2nd Round Pick, Cleveland Browns

Outside of the fact that he is playing in Cleveland, he is definitely on this list for the same reason Tate is. Injured players never sell, regardless of potential. Ask Ryan Mathews and he was only out for a week! Hardesty is a good player, but wont be worth anything for a long time, if ever.

Mardy Gilyard – 4th round pick, St. Louis Rams

Gilyard is another one of those late round receviers who you will pull ad nauseum. I mean, I managed to pull two of his autos out of a half a box. Its that bad. He has yet to catch a ball or even do anything respectable, and that will no doubt make him worthless in your boxes. He played at Cincinatti, so there wont be much of a following, and that is where the companies need to realize that not every position player needs to be at the premiere.

Mike Kafka – 4th round pick, Philidelphia Eagles

When you look at the QB class of this draft, its weak in every sense of the word. Bradford may be doing well, but it doesn’t look like any of his other compatriots will be able to do anything in their first few years in the league. They may eventually pan out, but not in a short enough timeframe to make it worth it to pull them. Kafka is buried on the depth chart, and will most likely be a career backup. Not a bad gig for him, for you, not so much.

Taylor Price – 3rd Round Pick, New England Patriots

The Pats are FAMOUS for making late rounders into superstars. Julian Edelman, last year, was a 7th round pick who has somehow made a large contribution to the team. However, Price has yet to catch a ball or do anything, and is one of about 500 receivers at the premiere that will most likely sit around for years before washing out. On top of that, he went to a non-factor college, so you don’t even have that going for you if you are lucky enough to pull one of his cards.

Andre Roberts – 3rd Round Pick, Arizona Cardinals

Another receiver, another guy who will most likely not do much for you. Again, he may end up doing well eventually, but its not looking good on the short term. Like many of these guys, it would be one thing if they went to Texas or Ohio St, but he went to the Citadel. Cmon.

Emmanuel Sanders, 3rd Round Pick, Pittsburgh Steelers

Usually, Steelers players sell. Not in this case. This guy barely even has a wikipedia or NFL.com page. Its like he only half exists. He has no receptions, and I didn’t even see him on the depth chart. He may just be that token Steelers guy at the premiere that hasn’t done anything.

Jonathan Dwyer, 6th Round Pick, Pittsburgh Steelers

Its rare that a sixth rounder gets to the premiere, and when he plays behind Mendenhall as well as fifteen other guys, things start to make less sense as to why he was included. He has not carried the ball even a single time, and that is why he hasn’t carried any value, even to Steelers fans.

As these guys start to perform, this list may change, but in all reality, it probably will grow rather than shrink. In most cases, these guys make up a good portion of the odds in a box hit pull, and that is bad news bears for everyone who buys a lot of wax. Yes, Toby Gerhart may be in everybody’s box, but he should factor in much more than a lot of these guys. Its especially frustrating that these are the guys who will take a 400 dollar box of National Treasures and turn it into a box of poop. At least there arent any offensive lineman this year. That’s all I gotta say about that.