Blake Bortles Rookie Card Guide, Gallery, Checklist, Analysis, Buying

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Blake Bortles might have been a bit overshadowed by other quarterbacks heading into the 2014 NFL Draft, but when the Jacksonville Jaguars made him the third overall pick, and first quarterback selected, everyone took notice. Now that the Jaguars are winning with Bortles at the helm, Blake Bortles rookie cards are seeing new interest.

After an impressive high school career, the Florida native stayed in-state and accepted a scholarship to play football for the University of Central Florida, where he did quite well. While he was regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the 2014 draft, it still came as a shock to many when he was picked so early by Jacksonville.

In regards to his key cards, collectors have a variety of first-year choices for Bortles. The most popular options are his official NFL rookie cards, which are only available in 2014 football sets from Panini and Topps. The problem with these is that many end up with a very similar look and images are used multiple times, especially with the brands that were released earlier in the 2014 collecting year.

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2014 Topps Inception represents the best early option given the on-card signature and solid design. Immaculate Collection, Contenders and Spectra present more choices for hard-signed rookie autographs. Finally, the high-end brands to finish the collecting season, like National Treasures and Five Star, are the most popular and valuable overall.

Collectors looking for something a little different with their Blake Bortles rookie collection have two primary options. The first is Upper Deck's UCF cards. While Upper Deck no longer has a license to make football cards, they made good use of their college license in 2014. This includes 2014 Exquisite Collection, which has one of the top Blake Bortles cards available. Bortles actually has a signed card in both 2013 and 2014 Exquisite.

Leaf is another option that has a growing interest among collectors looking for something else. Since they don't have a college license or an NFL license, these pre-rookie cards use airbrushed college images. While that is not ideal, Blake Bortles rookie options in sets such as Leaf Trinity make up for that with solid designs, on-card autographs and limited print runs.

Primary Blake Bortles rookie cards are grouped by the main brand below. Under that, notable college and pre-rookie options are featured. You can also check out some of the hottest Blake Bortles card auctions currently on eBay.