This year’s draft picks got their own NFL trading cards within minutes of being selected.
Panini America used its “Instant” platform to offer on-demand cards of the top draftees. Most of the first round draftees were pictured on stage, holding up their new team’s jersey. Priced at $9.99 (or less in quantity), the cards are available on the company’s website. A full set of 50 costs $249.99.
There were also parallel cards numbered to 10 (Green) and 1 (Black), priced at $29.99 and $99.99, respectively. While most of the parallels for high-profile players taken near the top of the first round sold out quickly, some were still available later in the weekend. The cards will be available until May 9.
You could buy cards of this year’s prospects not long after their last college game if you’re into “pre-draft” products that show them in college or practice gear but the Panini Instant cards marked the first cards created for players who were now part of an NFL team. Not every player taken in the first round was in attendance, of course, so the cards for some players simply show them in a college uniform.
Fifteen additional “wild cards” were produced of players taken after the first round.
Panini coordinated social media promotions with the players, who tweeted out images of the cards with a link to buy them.