The 2007 NFL Draft class is considered one of the best of the 21st century for its depth and quality of players. Four players picked in the first round that year have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Calvin Johnson, Joe Thomas, Patrick Willis, and Darrelle Revis).
Other first-rounders who may join them include running backs Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch and stalwarts like LaRon Landry, Greg Olsen, Michael Griffin, Jon Beason, and Joe Staley.
Even with all the talent in the first round, the steal of the draft may have come in the third, when with the 86th pick, the Baltimore Ravens selected offensive tackle Marshal Yanda from Iowa. He was the seventh offensive tackle taken.
From the minute he debuted for the Ravens, Yanda made an impact, starting 12 of the 16 games he played in his rookie season while transitioning into a guard. By 2010, he became one of the top linemen in the league, and in 2011, he was named to his first Pro Bowl – the first of eight.
2015 Topps Football Rookie
But it wasn’t until after he finished his eighth season in the NFL, which included four straight Pro Bowl appearances, that anyone could get a Yanda rookie card. That changed with 2015 Topps Football, released at the beginning of his ninth season–just prior to Yanda’s 31st birthday.
It’s the only set in which Yanda appeared that year, making it his only rookie card. There are several parallel variations, however, including a gold version numbered to 2015, a camo version numbered to 399, and specially stamped cards from factory sets commemorating the 50th Super Bowl and the 60th Anniversary of Topps Football.
Yanda had appeared on some Pro Bowl relic cards in Panini’s 2012 National Treasures and 2014 Topps Museum Collection but since they’re not part of a base set, they’re not considered rookie cards.
Yanda retired after the 2019 season. In his first year of eligibility in 2024, the native of Cedar Rapids, IA was named one of 25 Modern-Era Semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He finished his career as an eight-time Pro Bowler, a seven-time All-Pro, a member of the 2010s All-Decade Team, and a Super Bowl Champion (XLVII).
With his almost certain induction into the Hall of Fame, whether it’s this year or not, Yanda would become the key card in the 2015 Topps set. While he was drafted in one of the greatest classes ever, his rookie card came out in a year that held one of the weakest draft classes of the past ten years.
There aren’t any obvious future Hall of Famers in the 2015 Draft Class, but additional years may change that for players like Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs, and Brandon Scherff.
Prices and PSA Pop Report
Yanda’s rookie cards aren’t big sellers at the moment, and there isn’t a lot of online inventory. They currently sell for about $10-$12. His raw gold parallel cards sell for $35-$50 on COMC and eBay. A base PSA 9 on eBay recently sold for $75. It’s possible many are still sitting on common boxes at shows and shops around North America. Only a small number are currently listed for sale, including some that collectors have gotten autographed.
PSA has graded 165 base cards, with 42 Gem Mint 10s and 95 Mint 9s. Five 60th Anniversary and five Gold Parallel versions have been graded. His card is the second-most graded from the set, just behind a Tom Brady card, but with an impending Hall call, you can probably expect more to get the slab treatment.
A few Yanda autographed cards have been produced as well, most coming after this career ended.
