Who will the Vikings choose as their next QB? May? McCarthy? Penix? Card shop owners say whoever the team chooses will quickly become popular among collectors.
EAGAN, Minn. — In the world of sports cards and collectibles, there's nothing more exciting than the NFL Draft.
At Triple Diamond Sports Cards and Collectibles in Eagan, employees are preparing for an immediate influx of Minnesota collectors.
“People are always looking for hot new faces,” says co-owner Alex Davis.
The Vikings are expected to draft their quarterback of the future this year.
Davis said whoever the Vikings choose will quickly become a fan favorite among collectors.
“Collectors really go after the quarterback. The quarterback is the guy who commands the team,” Davis says.
“Basically, collectors really like the first few quarterbacks, the top one or two wide receivers, the top defensive players and the best running backs.”
Store employees have several theories about who the Vikings will choose as their next quarterback.
“There's a lot of talk going around about putting these two first-round picks together in a deal for a team to move up in the draft. You've got guys like Drake Maye, but I personally think J.J. McCarthy “I like him. I think he's a winner. He showed that this year at Michigan.”
Another popular theory here is that the Vikings made a monumental trade with the Los Angeles Chargers.
“We’ll try to combine those picks with other picks to get Justin Herbert.”
Davis says trade may be a long game, but it's fun to speculate and come up with possible scenarios.
“You know, it's going to be the Vikings who completely surprise us and don't draft a quarterback at all. I could see that happening. You never know what they're going to do.” Davis says.
No matter who the Vikings choose as their next quarterback, Minnesota collectors may have a hard time finding autographed rookie cards this year.
Davis said there are currently two major companies in football cards: Panini and Fanatics.
He said Fanatics recently acquired card maker Topps in a bold move to enter the sports card market.
“Panini still retains the rights to produce cards with NFL team names and logos,” Davis explains.
But Davis said Fanatics is looking to sign exclusive deals with several notable NFL rookies this year.
If these deals pass, Davis said some of the top quarterbacks in this year's draft may not be allowed to sign Panini.
“There's an interesting situation between these two companies right now,” Davis explains.
He said Panini still has the right to print rookie cards featuring the names and likenesses of these NFL rookies, but until Fanatics begins printing football cards in 2025, some of these rookies will not be printed. It is highly likely that he will not be able to sign the card.
“We hope that both parties can work something out before the season starts.”
Davis said the two companies could work out a short-term deal that would give collectors the opportunity to buy autographed cards of their favorite rookie players.
He said the first set of cards featuring the 2024 rookie won't be released until later this year.
“Usually it takes several months to create a card. You should have it ready before the season starts,” says Davis.
So, again, who will the Vikings take? Is it Mei-chan? McCarthy? Penix? Knicks? Or someone else?
No matter who the team chooses, Davis says that player will quickly become popular among Minnesota collectors.
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