Top Deshaun Watson Rookie Cards to Collect
Although it took some time for Deshaun Watson rookie cards to reach the heights warranted by his on-field play, the quarterback for the Houston Texans has shown the same abilities that made him a legend at Clemson.
While he did not begin his first NFL year in 2017 as the starter, it was not long before Watson moved to the top of the depth chart for the Texans. Highlight-reel plays and big stat lines soon followed, as did huge demand for Watson's football cards. Injuries slowed the ascent, but Watson remains one of the most electric players in the NFL (when he is healthy).
Starting with prospect options and NCAA sets from earlier in the year before moving to NFL sets, Deshaun Watson rookie cards come in all price ranges. The exclusive NFL card marker, Panini provides a tremendous variety of sets, all of which are housed in our 2017 Football Card hub.
If you want to get a real-time sense of the top Deshaun Watson rookie cards, view his current eBay auctions with the most bids.
Let us know in the comments if any other Deshaun Watson rookie cards have earned a place in your collection.
Top Deshaun Watson Rookie Cards
Buy specific cards or track prices using the links below. Linked products in the body go straight to detailed set profiles.
2017 Donruss Optic Rated Rookie Deshaun Watson RC #195
A low-end card with high-end aspirations, 2017 Donruss Optic NFL brings chromium to Donruss. This means Rated Rookie cards for Watson and many parallels. While it is not quite on the same level as Prizm, Donruss Optic is still among the best base Deshaun Watson rookie cards.
In addition, the hard-signed Rated Rookie autographs are also quite popular.
2017 Panini Contenders Rookie Ticket Deshaun Watson RC #302 Autograph
When you break it down each year, few rookie autograph sets come close to the popularity of the Contenders Rookie Ticket line. 2017 Contenders Football boasts a hard-signed Deshaun Watson rookie card. There is also a horizontal variation.
Need some more shine? The chromium 2017 Contenders Optic is very similar and also done on-card.
Another popular option under the Contenders brand is the collegiate 2017 Contenders Draft Picks set. Again, collectors can find hard-signed cards for Watson, but for the Clemson Tigers.
2017 Panini Flawless Deshaun Watson RC #133 Rookie Gems Signatures #/20
Sitting at the top, at least as far as the box price, 2017 Flawless gives collectors a high-end Deshaun Watson autograph card with an added gem. The low print run also makes it much more limited than the majority of his first-year cards.
The rookie patch autograph (RPA) is another notable choice in Flawless.
A common sight for Panini's high-end brands, 2017 Flawless Collegiate provides a college version for Watson.
2017 Panini Immaculate Deshaun Watson RC #102 Autograph Patch #/99
Also popular in the high-end card market is 2017 Immaculate NFL. The Rookie Patch Autographs subset is home to a Watson card that features a small patch, on-card signature and a print run of only 99 copies.
Check out the 2017 Immaculate NCAA version for a more affordable RPA card that still meets all the premium requirements.
2017 Panini Impeccable Deshaun Watson RC #108 Autograph Dual Relic #/75
A rare early-season NFL set with premium elements, the Elegance rookie subset in 2017 Impeccable features on-card signatures, two relic pieces, and only 75 main copies. While the base pairs a helmet and patch, the more limited parallels up the quality as the print run decreases via Helmet and Nameplate (#/25), Helmet and Glove (#/15) and the one-of-one Dual NFL Logo version.
2017 Panini National Treasures Deshaun Watson RC #169 Autograph Patch #/99
Looking for the best Deshaun Watson rookie card? For many collectors, that would be 2017 National Treasures. While the high-end elements are no longer unique to NT, the brand power pushes it to the top.
Just like Flawless and Immaculate, there is a premium National Treasures college autograph for Watson, as well.
2017 Panini Origins Rookie Autographs Deshaun Watson #RA-DW
Although the base Rookie Patch Autograph for Watson has a sticker signature, the Rookie Autograph insert from 2017 Origins is signed on-card. As a result, this is arguably the more popular choice. In addition, a version with a darker scheme adds gold or silver ink for the signature.
2017 Panini Prizm Deshaun Watson RC #279
If you want a Deshaun Watson rookie card that looks great, is found ungraded at a reasonable cost, and also has more valuable and rare parallels to chase, 2017 Prizm NFL might be the right option.
As far as the Deshaun Watson Prizm autographs, you can check out the main signature version or the auto patch with just 99 copies.
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Kelly
The activity among Deshaun Watson rookie cards has greatly increased in the last few days since a Grand Jury in Houston has refused to indict him. Some cards have actually doubled in price just in the last few days. Two years ago the value of his cards dropped like most others because of the pandemic but remained low because of his situation. However, I took a chance and have been buying his rookie cards over the last two years and I am glad I did. I now have 37 Deshaun Watson RCs of which most are base Donruss and Optics. I have also bought many of his 2018 Panini Prizm cards which are his 2nd year card. I did this as I was able to get them for $0.25-$0.50 each and are now selling for $3-$5 each so I think that was a good idea for me to buy them.