Panini announces participants for 2021 NFL Rookie Premiere

See which prospects from the 2021 NFL draft will be taking part in the Panini 2021 NFL Rookie Premiere event

Every year, sports card manufacturer Panini gathers a handful of rookies from the incoming NFL draft class for an event to promote their product, featuring mostly offensive skill-position players that collectors will be hunting once their new cards hit the shelves.

This year’s event will feature plenty of this year’s top names, including No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence, the new quarterback of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

How does Panini decide who makes the cut?

Rookie Premiere is customarily an exclusive trading card content and marketing event for presenting partner Panini America, along with a slate of other NFLPA partners. Players are selected as part of the Rookie Premiere class primarily by Panini America based on position, college performance, draft status as well as projected overall demand and marketability. All these factors impact a rookie’s trading card value, even before they have played a down in a game. Fueled by NFL players, Panini enjoyed a second consecutive year of record growth in 2020. The Rookie Cards and autographs from this year’s class of players will be featured throughout Panini’s complete 2021 NFL trading card portfolio.

So, while you’ll see plenty of late-round wide receivers and running backs ahead of defensive players and especially offensive linemen who were drafted in the first round, it’s Panini’s best guess at which players have biggest chance of becoming sought after by collectors.

Enjoy those new rookies cards, draft picks.

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