Hot Hobby Trend: Three NFL Defenders Vying for Individual Sack Master Greatness
Flittering with single-season greatness, the play of Nik Bonitto (Broncos), Brian Burns (Giants), and Byron Young (Rams) has boosted sales on secondary markets. Chasing a 24-year-old record, the outside linebackers/weakside defensive ends are mathematically in play to set a new single-season sack record with 10 games to play.
Nik Bonitto
Able to rush off either side of the line of scrimmage, Bonitto’s speed creates chaos in the opposition’s backfield play after play. One of the sleek aspects to the play of the fourth-year standout, much of his pressure and ability to get into the backfield is done without engagement with offensive tackles. The signature move for the 2024 Pro Bowler is a shoulder dip, being past or even with the tackle as the player is getting set in their pass protection because of his blazing speed off the snap.
Through seven games, the Broncos have a collective 34 sacks (Bonitto has eight of them). Greatness was set in 1985 by the Chicago Bears pile driving 72 quarterbacks in 16 games on their way to the Super Bowl Shuffle.
For individual glory, Bonitto is hunting Michael Strahan’s 22.5 sacks in a season. The former New York Giants Hall of Famer set the mark in 2001.
Collectors are jumping on Bonitto raw rookie cards selling for a dollar, 2022 Panini Select Concourse #25 Black and Red, up to $53 for a 2022 Donruss #380 Press Proof (Gold/Premium).
Selling in the $30 range raw, buyers are also jumping on 2022 Panini Prizm Pandora /400 and Hyper Prizm ($39.99).
Brian Burns
In the middle of his seventh year, Burns is set for a career year. During the 2022 season with the Carolina Panthers, Burns had a personal best with 12.5 sacks. In 2020 and 2021, Burns has twice hit the nine-sack mark and has done so already in seven games.
Hunting cards for the two-time Pro Bowler (2021, 2022) are very reasonable. A 2019 Panini Prizm #318 Neon Green AU sold for $17.59 during an eBay auction. On a higher end, a 2019 Select Rookie Signatures Prizm Gold #23 Brian Burns listed at $80 was sold.
What Burns has been able to do, considering the output from the rest of the defense, is amazing. Burns has nine of the team’s 14 total sacks; triple checked as it reads on the stat sheet erroneously. Kayvon Thibodeaux is second on the team with 2.5 sacks.
Byron Young
In just his third season out of Tennessee, Young is making noise. As a rookie, Young rang up eight sacks followed by 7.5 in 2024. All the elements of the game are coming together for the Rams 2023 third-round pick. Young has 39 total stops, 24 solo, 9 tackles for loss, and 17 QB hits through seven games.
More Panini-issued cards dominate the offering for Young’s rookie cards on the secondary market. Hyper Blue Prizm Donruss Optic Rated Rookies can be scored for under $2 with sweet Red Mosaic Prizms listed right at $2.
One of the great deals for a collector on Sunday was a 2023 Panini Contenders Optic Orange #151 Byron Young AU /50 for under $35.
