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Top 5 Deshaun Watson Rookie Cards to Target

Buy Deshaun Watson Rookie Cards on eBay

deshaun watson rookie cards

 

Did you buy any Deshaun Watson rookie cards prior to the start of the season hoping he be in the thick of the NFL MVP race? Thanks to a Texans defense that has been downright pathetic, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. However, despite being on a team with an abysmal record, Watson is actually having a really good season. And while a shot at the MVP may be nice, it should ease your mind knowing the Texans problems have nothing to do with who’s under center.

And if you don’t own any Deshaun Watson rookie cards, the Texan’s awful season may provide the perfect opportunity to grab one at a good price. Fortunately, we’re about to go over a few options that could help with that. But first, let’s remind ourselves why Watson was considered a 2020 NFL MVP candidate in the first place.

 

 

Random thought of the day: How good would Dak and Deshaun have been this year if either had a defense capable of keeping the opposing offense off the field? 

 

 

Deshaun Watson’s Early NFL Success

 

Success isn’t easy to come by in the NFL. Especially for new players. However, Deshaun Watson decided to ignore this fact by putting the rest of the league on notice right out of the gate. Before a season-ending ACL injury, Watson was able to light up the league for 1,699 yards and 19 TDs in the first 6 starts of his career. Factor in the additional 2 TDs on the ground and 269 rushing yards and one could easily speculate that the knee injury was the only thing standing in the way of one of the best NFL rookie seasons OF ALL TIME.

While perhaps not as explosive as his rookie season, Watson’s 2nd and 3rd seasons in the league were remarkably consistent. In a good way. In both 2018 and 2019, Watson threw for 26 touchdowns and was named to the AFC Pro Bowl team. Additionally, the young QB averaged a whopping 4,008 passing yards over the two seasons and maintained a low INT % of  2.1. With these numbers, it comes as no surprise the Texans made the playoffs in both seasons Watson played in full health.

This year, however, it doesn’t look like the Texans will be coming anywhere near the playoffs, even with a healthy Watson. But despite the record, Watson continues to shine. This should give you plenty of confidence considering he’s now been successful in all 4 seasons of his career. Now let’s get to those rookie cards.

 

 

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Top 6 Deshaun Watson Rookie Cards 

 

2017 Panini Flawless (Buy this card on eBay)

Flawless Deshaun Watson rookie card

There are many variations of this card, each of which contains a unique patch of memorabilia. Even some of the non-graded cards are going for well over $1,000. And if you happen to come across a rarer version that’s a grade 10? Let’s just say there’s plenty of automobiles for sale that will set you back less.

 

2017 Panini Contenders (Buy this card on eBay)

Panini Contenders

These “Rookie Ticket” cards are incredibly hot items. When one goes to auction on eBay, there’s certainly no shortage of bids. And as always, the lower the population, the higher the price. As far as visual appearance is concerned, we’re partial to the “Optic Gold” variation.  Stunning!

 

2017 Donruss Optic Rated Rookie Card (Buy this card on eBay)

Deshaun Watson Rookie Card Donruss

Now this one is something to behold. The card features a helmetless Deshaun with both hands on the pigskin. And while he isn’t wearing a helmet, he is wearing a face that says “take no prisoners”. It’s available with or without an autograph and has the famous “Rated Rookie” logo at the top left corner. Plenty of different parallels available at various prices.

 

2017 Panini Prizm (Buy this card on eBay)

Panini Silver

A Panini set that’s become a fan favorite. The silver card shown seems to be one of the most popular and can still be picked up for around $1,000 for a grade 10.  You could also go with a red power, purple crystals, or green scope variation if you want to take a walk on the wild side (where do they come up with these names??). But if you want to BIG go for the Gold Prizm. There’s only 10 made and can bring in around $10,000 in the right condition.

 

2017 Panini National Treasures with Patrick Mahomes (Buy this card on eBay)

deshaun watson rookie cards

 

Now talk about bang for your buck! 2 MVP caliber QBs for the price of one? Count us in! Besides the two electrifying quarterbacks, the card two different material sections with one under each player.

 

2017 Panini Select (Buy on eBay)

Select Watson 2017 Prizm

The set contains a massive amount of Deshaun Watson rookie card options. There are several different cards available, each with many different parallels. Our personal favorite happens to be the Bronze Stars Prizm of card #279. It an era of cards with lots of bling, it’s good to see a somewhat understated parallel every now and then.

 

 

Looking for another MVP contender?  Check out these Kyler Murray rookie cards!

 

 

Deshaun Watson Rookie Cards: Overall Bargain Rating

 

Short (Less than 1 year)

Given the way this season has gone, it may be a better idea to think about a slightly longer-term approach. Either that or wait unless next offseason to buy one. It’s hard to imagine the Texans defense getting any worse so we expect a better 2021. 7/10

Medium (1 to 5 years)

we believe Deshaun Watson rookie cards are going to be a viable investment WELL into the future.  The guy has been successful in all 4 seasons of his young career and should only continue to get better with experience. And once he gets a defense that can help him make a deep playoff run you should be happy you waited. 8.5/10

Long (5 years plus)

While Watson has had plenty of success so far in his career, we’d rather see what he does in the medium term before even consider this strategy. 3/10