Pack Break - 2011 Topps Rising Rookies

Stopped by Target yesterday to spend some of the birthday money that was burning a hole in my pocket and I was surprised to see that the new Rising Rookies football cards had been released.  I grabbed one pack to see what the cards looked like in hand and I gotta say I'm somewhat impressed.

#61 Austin Collie

I like the look of the base cards enough that I may buy another pack or two.  I'll at least look for a Carolina Panthers team set online.

#53 Matt Forte

#84 Ndamukng Suh

#97 Steve Johnson

#FIA-DW Damian Williams - Freshman Ink Auto

This I didn't see coming!  Not sure which group this player falls under, but the lowest odds listed for these are 1:99.

#168 Bilal Powell RC

#113 Kendall Hunter RC

#138 D.J. Williams RC

#128 Colin Kaepernick RC

#148 Marvin Austin RC

I don't care too much for the RCs which is a shame since the focus of the set are the RCs themselves.  For Topps' first effort after reclaiming their NFL license the cards aren't that bad.  Some collector's will hate the sticker autos and my guess is most will also not care for the large white logo spot on the RCs.  Getting an auto from a single retail pack though is always a nice treat.  All of these cards are available for trade if anyone is interested.

2011 Topps Rising Rookies

Topps just released information for a new set of NFL football cards featuring most likely the big names in April's NFL draft - Topps Rising Rookies.  What caught my eye obviously was the stock image featuring the silhouette on a Carolina Panthers card.  At this point not a lot is known about the product other than what info Topps released.  Each box will yield 4 hits, 2 of which will be autographs.  Logo patch cards will be featured along with 1/1 parallels and printing plates.  The base set will be made up of both rookies and a few veterans while each 5 card pack contains 4 RCs and one rookie parallel.  As a Carolina Panthers fan I'll be interested to see just who takes the place on the card pictured to the left.