By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Football Editor

The first round of the 2013 NFL Draft is tonight in New York City. The draft has talent, but not the type that is going to excite many collectors.

There won’t be many skilled positions going in the first round of the draft, but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. There is a quarterback or two that could end being drafted tonight with a running back or wide receiver thrown in the mix.

Here’s a look at some of the top draft picks that could go in the first round, and what collectors can find on cards.

Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M (view OPG here): Many mock drafts have Joeckel as the first overall pick, but an offensive tackle isn’t exactly exciting to football collectors. However, his status alone will have companies producing his cards.

Total cards: 29
Autographs: 10

Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia (OPG): Smith has received mixed scouting reports, but he will probably be the first quarterback to go in the draft – although some mock drafts have him going outside of the top 10. Right now, he’s probably the player from this draft collectors are looking most forward to.

Total cards: 90
Autographs: 53

Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame (OPG): Eifert could go in the first (some experts are looking at the Dolphins). He’s not one of the most talked about players in the draft, but he is getting attention from the card companies.

Total cards: 65
Autographs: 40

Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia (OPG): Austin is one of the top receivers in the draft and has gotten more attention as of late. If he ends up in a place with a strong quarterback, these two might be able to do some damage together.

Total cards: 49
Autographs: 32

Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama (OPG): Lacy should be a solid running back in the NFL, which means teams shouldn’t wait too long to pick him up. He’s likely the first running back off the board. He had 1,322 yards for Alabama in 2012.

Total cards: 88
Autographs: 51

Manti Te’o, ILB, Notre Dame (OPG): Te’o will likely hear jokes for his entire football career, but there is team that will take a chance on him, even in the first round. Te’o was one a Heisman Award finalist last year and will get attention.

Total cards: 74
Autographs: 38

Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan (OPG): Fisher could be a top five draft pick, but OTs just don’t get any collecting love. If he goes high enough, he’ll likely get some cards from Panini and Topps.

Total cards: 6
Autographs: 2

Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse (OPG): Nassib is more of a sleeper pick at quarterback, and could drop out of the first round. He’s a strong quarterback, but a work in progress. However, he plays the most popular position for collectors.

Total cards: 72
Autographs: 36

Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee (OPG): Hunter missed some time in college due to injury, but scouts see raw talent in him and hope teams could harness it. Not the top WR in the draft, but he’s definitely up there. Hunter could drop to the second round.

Total cards: 82
Autographs: 57

Susan Lulgjuraj is an editor of Beckett Football. You can email her here with questions, comments or ideas. Follow her on Twitter here. Follow Beckett Media on Facebook and Twitter.

Beckett Football Editor Susan Lulgjuraj shared her thoughts on 2013 NFL Draft with ESPN’s Mint Condition.

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Football Editor

Topps has given away uncut sheets as prizes to collectors through its various outlets such as Twitter and Facebook. Topps is giving a chance for all collectors to get in the mix with 2013 Finest Football.

Collectors can pull a redemption for an uncut sheet of cards including veteran and rookie base and Refractor and X-Fractor parallels.

Topps is also making a push for more on-card autographs this year and hopes to lessen the amount of sticker autographs collectors will get in Finest.

Every master box contains:
- One Rookie Autograph Patch
- One Autograph Jumbo Relic
- Two Die-Cut Finest Atomic Refractors Rookie Cards
- Two Finest Moment inserts

There are two mini boxes in each master box. Each mini box will come with six five-pack cards.

Autograph patches feature up to 40 rookies and will have eight levels of parallels: Blue (numbered to 99), Red (#’d to 75), Gold (#’d to 50), BCA or pink jumbo patch (#’d to 10), Military Jumbo Patch (#’d to 10), Black Refractor Pigskin NFL Shield from the NFLPA (1-of-1), Superfractor (1-of-1).

Autograph Jumbo Relic cards will highlight rookies and veterans. Blue, Red, Gold Refractors are included along with Prism Patch, X-Fractor Patch, Black Swoosh and Superfractor Patch variations.

The Autograph Jumbo Relics can come with one, two, three or four signatures.

Regular autographs are tough to pull in Finest. There is at least one autograph card in every case. These on-card autographs will feature Rookie Refractor Autograph Variations with Blue, Red, Prism and Superfractor parallels.

Topps will include up to 25 Finest Moments Autographs (veterans and rookies) on the checklist along with up to 35 rookies on Finest Atomic Refractor Rookie Autographs, which are die-cuts.

Inserts will fall at a rate of four per master box. Inserts include Finest Atomic Refractor Rookies and Finest Moments.

Topps is also adding a little mystery. There will be a rare Mystery Rookie Autograph Redemption. The player will be announced sometime during the 2013 season.

The base set contains 150 cards with 50 being rookies. Parallels include Refractor, X-Fractor, Blue, Gold, Red, Prism, Superfractor and Printing Plates.

Finest is due out in late August.

Veteran autographs in Finest include Aaron Hernandez, Andrew Luck, Arian Foster and Robert Griffin III. 

Collectors can expect to find rookie autographs of players such as Eddie Lacy, Marcus Lattimore, Matt Barkley, Mike Glennon, Monte Ball, Tyler Bray and Tyler Wilson.

As a reminder, these cards are just mockups. The players will featured in their NFL uniform at release.

Susan Lulgjuraj is an editor of Beckett Football. You can email her here with questions, comments or ideas. Follow her on Twitter here. Follow Beckett Media on Facebook and Twitter.

Base card checklist
1 Joe Flacco Baltimore Ravens    51 Eric Decker Denver Broncos
2 Jay Cutler Chicago Bears    52 Alfred Morris Washington Redskins
3 Matthew Stafford Detroit Lions    53 Mike Wallace Miami Dolphins
4 DeMarco Murray Dallas Cowboys    54 Patrick Willis San Francisco 49ers
5 Larry Fitzgerald Arizona Cardinals    55 Philip Rivers San Diego Chargers
6 Wes Welker Denver Broncos    56 Michael Crabtree San Francisco 49ers
7 David Wilson New York Giants    57 Chris Johnson Tennessee Titans
8 Stevan Ridley New England Patriots    58 BenJarvus Green-EllisCincinnati Bengals
9 Clay Matthews Green Bay Packers    59 Anquan Boldin San Francisco 49ers
10 Eli Manning New York Giants    60 Andrew Luck Indianapolis Colts
11 Matt Schaub Houston Texans    61 Antonio Gates San Diego Chargers
12 Brandon Weeden Cleveland Browns   62 Greg Olsen Carolina Panthers
13 Steve Johnson Buffalo Bills    63 Frank Gore San Francisco 49ers
14 Jake Locker Tennessee Titans    64 Julio Jones Atlanta Falcons
15 Christian Ponder Minnesota Vikings    65 Steven Jackson Atlanta Falcons
16 Earl Thomas Seattle Seahawks    66 Kyle Rudolph Minnesota Vikings
17 Reggie Wayne Indianapolis Colts    67 Jeremy Maclin Philadelphia Eagles
18 Percy Harvin Seattle Seahawks    68 Arian Foster Houston Texans
19 Roddy White Atlanta Falcons    69 Santonio Holmes New York Jets
20 Peyton Manning Denver Broncos    70 Drew Brees New Orleans Saints
21 Torrey Smith Baltimore Ravens    71 Jonathan Stewart Carolina Panthers
22 Matt Ryan Atlanta Falcons    72 Ben Roethlisberger Pittsburgh Steelers
23 Troy Polamalu Pittsburgh Steelers    73 Aaron Hernandez New England Patriots
24 Carson Palmer Oakland Raiders    74 Danny Amendola New England Patriots
25 Cam Newton Carolina Panthers   75 Russell Wilson Seattle Seahawks
26 Jason Witten Dallas Cowboys    76 Sam Bradford St. Louis Rams
27 J.J. Watt Houston Texans    77 Victor Cruz New York Giants
28 Jamaal Charles Kansas City Chiefs    78 Hakeem Nicks New York Giants
29 Ed Reed Houston Texans   79 Darren McFadden Oakland Raiders
30 Colin Kaepernick San Francisco 49ers    80 Calvin Johnson Jr. Detroit Lions
31 Dez Bryant Dallas Cowboys    81 JermichaelFinley Green Bay Packers
32 Marshawn Lynch Seattle Seahawks   82 JoshFreeman Tampa Bay Buccaneers
33 A.J. Green Cincinnati Bengals    83 DwayneBowe Kansas City Chiefs
34 Andre Johnson Houston Texans    84 VernonDavis San Francisco 49ers
35 Darren Sproles New Orleans Saints    85 KendallWright Tennessee Titans
36 Von Miller Denver Broncos    86 JasonPierre-Paul New York Giants
37 Heath Miller Pittsburgh Steelers    87 DougMartin Tampa Bay Buccaneers
38 Justin Blackmon Jacksonville Jaguars    88 WillisMcGahee Denver Broncos
39 Jared Allen Minnesota Vikings    89 MichaelVick Philadelphia Eagles
40 Tom Brady New England Patriots    90 RobertGriffin III Washington Redskins
41 Maurice Jones-Drew Jacksonville Jaguars    91 ReggieBush Detroit Lions
42 Ryan Tannehill Miami Dolphins    92 LeSeanMcCoy Philadelphia Eagles
43 Jimmy Graham New Orleans Saints    93 DemaryiusThomas Denver Broncos
44 Vincent Jackson Tampa Bay Buccaneers   94 C.J.Spiller Buffalo Bills
45 Marques Colston New Orleans Saints    95 RobGronkowski New England Patriots
46 James Jones Green Bay Packers    96 TonyRomo Dallas Cowboys
47 Matt Forté Chicago Bears    97 RandallCobb Green Bay Packers
48 Andy Dalton Cincinnati Bengals    98 TrentRichardson Cleveland Browns
49 Brandon Marshall Chicago Bears    99 RayRice Baltimore Ravens
50 Adrian Peterson Minnesota Vikings    100 AaronRodgers Green Bay Packers

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Football Editor

Leaf is prepping for another football product.

The company announced the addition of Trinity Football to its lineup during the Industry Summit last week. Keeping to its name, Trinity will focus on three things: jumbo patch autographs, inscription autographs and glass cards.

The product features pre-draft players such as Eddie Lacy, E.J. Manuel and Geno Smith.

The big highlight for Leaf is the glass cards named Pure.

“You’ve seen cards on glass but not like this,” Leaf’s Brian Gray said at the Industry Summit. “It’s a game changer as far as glass goes.”

While a release date hasn’t been given yet, Gray said it has a low production run because it is late in the pre-draft season.

We’ll update the post as we get more information on Trinity Football.

Susan Lulgjuraj is an editor of Beckett Football Monthly. You can email her here with questions, comments or ideas. Follow her on Twitter here. Follow Beckett Media on Facebook and Twitter.

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Football Editor

High-end won’t wait for the end of a season.

The first high-end product from Topps is scheduled for the end of July with 2013 Inception football – a hobby-only product.

In this one-pack-per-box product, collectors will get three hits with at least two autographs. Each pack will have seven cards with two veteran base cards and two parallels.

Every base autographed Rookie Card will be signed on card, featuring up to 40 rookies from the NFLPA Rookie Premiere. These RCs will have five levels of parallels with Green (numbered to 99), Purple (numbered to 75), Yellow (numbered to 50), Red (numbered to 25) and Inception (1-of-1).

Included this year are Inception Element Autographs where weather is used as a feature on the card.

Many of the rookies will have Inception Silver Signings, black cards signed with a paint pen. These are numbered to 50. There are also new Gold Signings cards with the regular cards numbered to 25, Nickname parallels numbered to 10 and 1-of-1 Inscription parallels.

In addition, there will be Dual Rookie Autographed and Quad Rookie Autographed cards.

The Autographed Relics, including patch cards, letters and laundry tags will all be signed on card.

When it comes to relic cards, Topps will utilize Rookie Patches, Jumbo Relics and an NFL Shield Logo Patch (1-of-1). The patches and relics will have at least five levels of parallels. The Jumbo Relics will also include a Nike Swoosh parallel for the first time.

The base set will consist of 100 veterans with one Green parallel in every pack. Other parallels include Purple, Yellow, Red, Inception (Blue) and Printing Plate.

Update: This is not a college football product. College jerseys were used in the mock ups from Topps because  the players are not associated with any NFL teams yet. This is an NFL-only product. Topps doesn’t have a CLC license to produce college cards.

Susan Lulgjuraj is an editor of Beckett Football. You can email her here with questions, comments or ideas. Follow her on Twitter here. Follow Beckett Media on Facebook and Twitter.

Inception base card checklist
1 Joe Flacco Baltimore Ravens    51 Chris Johnson Tennessee Titans
2 Dez Bryant Dallas Cowboys     52 Kyle Rudolph Minnesota Vikings
3 Vick Ballard Indianapolis Colts    53 Anquan Boldin San Francisco 49ers
4 Andy Dalton Cincinnati Bengals     54 Dwayne Bowe Kansas City Chiefs
5 David Wilson New York Giants     55 Philip Rivers San Diego Chargers
6 Santonio Holmes New York Jets    56 Sidney Rice Seattle Seahawks
7 Pierre Garcon Washington Redskins    57 T.Y. Hilton Indianapolis Colts
8 Justin Blackmon Jacksonville Jaguars     58 Carson Palmer Oakland Raiders
9 Jacquizz Rodgers Atlanta Falcons     59 LeSean McCoy Philadelphia Eagles
10 Andrew Luck Indianapolis Colts     60 Adrian Peterson Minnesota Vikings
11 Aaron Hernandez New England Patriots     61 Reggie Bush Detroit Lions
12 Brandon Marshall Chicago Bears    62 Jamaal Charles Kansas City Chiefs
13 Jordy Nelson Green Bay Packers    63 Rob Gronkowski New England Patriots
14 Michael Vick Philadelphia Eagles     64 Vernon Davis San Francisco 49ers
15 Trent Richardson Cleveland Browns     65 Stevan Ridley New England Patriots
16 Cecil Shorts Jacksonville Jaguars     66 Brandon Weeden Cleveland Browns
17 Troy Polamalu Pittsburgh Steelers     67 Darren McFadden Oakland Raiders
18 Tony Romo Dallas Cowboys     68 Jimmy Graham New Orleans Saints
19 Sam Bradford St. Louis Rams     69 Arian Foster Houston Texans
20 Calvin Johnson Jr. Detroit Lions     70 Tom Brady New England Patriots
21 Ray Rice Baltimore Ravens    71 Ben Roethlisberger Pittsburgh Steelers
22 Jason Witten Dallas Cowboys     72 Randall Cobb Green Bay Packers
23 Matt Schaub Houston Texans     73 Jake Locker Tennessee Titans
24 Eli Manning New York Giants     74 A.J. Green Cincinnati Bengals
25 Russell Wilson Seattle Seahawks     75 J.J. Watt Houston Texans
26 Christian Ponder Minnesota Vikings      76 Jay Cutler Chicago Bears
27 Larry Fitzgerald Arizona Cardinals      77 Reggie Wayne Indianapolis Colts
28 Frank Gore San Francisco 49ers      78 Marshawn Lynch Seattle Seahawks
29 Aldon Smith San Francisco 49ers     79 DeMarco Murray Dallas Cowboys
30 Drew Brees New Orleans Saints      80 Robert Griffin III Washington Redskins
31 Julio Jones Atlanta Falcons      81 C.J. Spiller Buffalo Bills
32 Dennis Pitta Baltimore Ravens      82 Ed Reed Baltimore Ravens
33 Jermaine Gresham Cincinnati Bengals      83 Antonio Brown Pittsburgh Steelers
34 Richard Sherman Seattle Seahawks    84 Antonio Gates San Diego Chargers
35 Maurice Jones-Drew Jacksonville Jaguars    85 Victor Cruz New York Giants
36 Clay Matthews Green Bay Packers    86 Darren Sproles New Orleans Saints
37 Vincent Jackson Tampa Bay Buccaneers    87 Mark Ingram New Orleans Saints
38 Torrey Smith Baltimore Ravens    88 Matt Ryan Atlanta Falcons
39 Von Miller Denver Broncos     89 Doug Martin Tampa Bay Buccaneers
40 Colin Kaepernick San Francisco 49ers     90 Andre Johnson Houston Texans
41 Kendall Wright Tennessee Titans     91 Ryan Tannehill Miami Dolphins
42 Hakeem Nicks New York Giants     92 Percy Harvin Seattle Seahawks
43 Cam Newton Carolina Panthers    93 Brandon Myers Oakland Raiders
44 Demaryius Thomas Denver Broncos    94 Matt Forté Chicago Bears
45 Steven Jackson Atlanta Falcons    95 Luke Kuechly Carolina Panthers
46 Eric Decker Denver Broncos     96 BenJarvus Green-EllisCincinnati Bengals
47 Alfred Morris Washington Redskins     97 Matthew Stafford Detroit Lions
48 Josh Freeman Tampa Bay Buccaneers     98 Roddy White Atlanta Falcons
49 Wes Welker Denver Broncos    99 Michael Crabtree San Francisco 49ers
50 Aaron Rodgers Green Bay Packers     100 Peyton Manning Denver Broncos

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Football Editor

Panini’s first release of the 2013 football season will be Score. But this isn’t just the start of the collecting season for Panini, this is Score’s 25th anniversary.

For the anniversary, Panini is getting a bit nostalgic using the 1989 design for rookies. Players such as Geno Smith and Eddie Lacy will get the same design treatment as Barry Sanders, Troy Aikman and Deion Sanders’ Rookie Cards.

Panini is spicing up the content of Score, which is not a product known for hits.

However, there will be three hits with at least two autographs in every hobby box. Compared to last season where there just four autos in every hobby case.

With the addition of autographs in hobby boxes, Panini will also change the way collectors get their cards. Hobby boxes will feature 50-card jumbo packs. The new additions will likely change typical price point of Score hobby boxes, which cost around $30 last year.

The case set consists of 440 cards: 220 veterans, 110 Rookie Cards, three 32-card subsets and a 14-card Road to the Super Bowl subset celebrating the Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl win.

The autograph subsets include Inscriptions, Hot Rookie Signatures and Rookie Signatures while the memorabilia cards are named Franchise Fabrics and Future Franchise Fabrics.

Panini will include the popular parallels of Scorecard, Gold Zone, Red Zone and Artist Proof.

There is no word on retail configuration yet, but Panini states it will release that information in the future.

Susan Lulgjuraj is an editor of Beckett Football. You can email her here with questions, comments or ideas. Follow her on Twitter here. Follow Beckett Media on Facebook.

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Football Editor

The new season of football products has already started to roll out.

2013 Sage HIT Low Series hits the market this month, but Beckett got its hands on an early box.

Check out the gallery below to see some of the cards.

Sage HIT Low will have six autographs in every box, on average. It will include just about all the top prospects for the 2013 NFL draft such as Matt Barkley, Monte Ball and Eddie Lacy. The set includes 75 base cards.

Click here to view a checklist of the 2013 Sage HIT Low Series.

Susan Lulgjuraj is an editor of Beckett Football. You can email her here with questions, comments or ideas. Follow her on Twitter here. Follow Beckett Media on Facebook.