20-Year Reunion: Revisiting the 1998 NFL Draft, the Year that Changed Football Cards Forever
By David Lee
“Peyton Manning, Ryan Leaf—both have potential to be stars for a long, long time,” ESPN’s Chris Berman said just a few seconds after the 1998 NFL Draft officially got underway.
The two prized quarterback prospects were a toss-up for most experts and NFL evaluators. Manning had the experience and maturity, while Leaf had the physical skills and seemingly bigger potential. The one thing everyone agreed on: they were going to be the top two picks.
Leaf’s agent, Leigh Steinberg, revealed in his book The Agent that Leaf didn’t want to play for the Colts. He wanted San Diego.
“The Colts leaned toward choosing Ryan. Many scouts also saw him as a better prospect than Peyton Manning,” Steinberg also wrote in the book.
While Manning and Leaf will forever be linked, their careers couldn’t have gone in more opposite directions. Manning rewrote the record books, and Leaf never even reached 4,000 yards passing during his 25-game career.
It’s been said that life turns on small things. That’s certainly true with the 1998 NFL Draft and the entire rookie class from 20 years ago. So many things just fell into place. Looking back two decades later, it turned out to be one of the most impactful rookie classes to ever enter the NFL. That year was also one of the most pivotal the football card industry has ever seen, ushering in landmark sets and innovations that changed how we collect.
Let’s revisit the booms, busts, undeniable legends, and hobby advancements that made 1998 unforgettable.
Boom Picks
Peyton Manning, QB
Pick: 1 (Colts)
Hall of Fame Lock
Indianapolis was desperate. They had to get a quarterback. The Colts went with polish over potential, leadership over athleticism. They ended up with a legend that passed for nearly 55,000 yards and 399 touchdowns and won a title for the franchise. Peyton Manning ended his 17-year career with 71,940 yards, 539 touchdowns (both all-time records) and two championships.
Today, Manning has almost 16,000 cards, including nearly 3,000 autographed cards. His 1998 Playoff Contenders Rookie Ticket Autograph and 1998 SP Authentic RC are two of the most important football cards of the modern era. He remains in the public eye with a magnetic personality, which can only help his long-term collectibility.
Charles Woodson, CB
Pick: 4 (Raiders)
Hall of Fame Lock
The 1997 Heisman Trophy winner was a can’t-miss versatile pick, and the Raiders sure didn’t miss. Woodson made an immediate impact as the 1998 Defensive Rookie of the Year. He went on to play at an elite level for 18 seasons, and is one of the greatest defensive backs the game has ever seen. He made nine Pro Bowls, and totaled 65 interceptions (tied for fifth all-time) and 983 tackles.
Woodson’s autographed cards are fairly scarce, with fewer than 200 available. His 1998 Bowman Rookie Autographs, along with a couple parallels, are his only autographs from his rookie year. There was a 13-year gap until his next autograph card was produced.
Greg Ellis, DE
Pick: 8 (Cowboys)
The eighth pick turned out to be a 12-year starter and totaled 397 tackles with 84 sacks. Greg Ellis isn’t a superstar like other top names from 1998, but he was a solid player for a Dallas Cowboys franchise that would just as soon forget the early 2000s. He made an impact even late in his career, totaling 27.5 sacks in his final three seasons.
Ellis doesn’t have many cards. In fact, his 23 Rookie Cards make up about 10 percent of his total card count. His best is by far the 1998 SP Authentic.
Fred Taylor, RB
Pick: 9 (Jaguars)
The second running back taken (we’ll get to the first later), was one of the best at the position for a decade. Taylor was an instant hit for the Jaguars—a team in just its fourth season in 1998. He totaled 1,644 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground and through the air his rookie year. The team made the playoffs in ’98 and then lost in the AFC Championship the next season. Taylor amassed 11,695 rushing yards, 2,384 receiving yards, and totaled 74 touchdowns in his career.
His best Rookie Card is the 1998 SP Authentic.
Keith Brooking, LB
Pick: 12 (Falcons)
Brooking played 15 seasons, 10 of which for the Falcons. He made the Pro Bowl each year from 2001 through 2005. He finished his career with 1,097 tackles and 22 sacks.
With just a little more than 300 total cards, Brooking is a great deal if you want to build a collection of key RCs from 1998. Start with the 1998 SP Authentic.
Takeo Spikes, LB
Pick: 13 (Bengals)
Like Brooking, who was taken just one pick earlier, Spikes was a solid linebacker for a long time. A 15-year career totaled 1,013 tackles, 29 sacks and 19 interceptions. He was a two-time Pro Bowler.
Also like Brooking, Spikes has affordable cards with the 1998 SP Authentic RC coming out on top.
Randy Moss, WR
Pick: 21 (Vikings)
Hall of Famer
“The Freak” may have been a little too freaky for some teams to pull the trigger on him 20 years ago, but Moss turned out to be one of the all-time legends. Perhaps the most physically gifted receiver to ever play, he terrorized defenses for 14 seasons. It didn’t take long before people starting wondering if he could catch Jerry Rice’s career numbers. He was as flashy and explosive as he was reliable. Randall Cunningham was Minnesota’s quarterback in 1998, and at the age of 35, had his best season once Moss arrived.
Moss led the NFL with 17 touchdowns in his rookie year, and would do so four more times in his career. Moss finished with 982 receptions, 15,292 yards and 156 touchdowns. He will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.
Like Manning, Moss also has two of the most important modern-era cards ever made. His autographed 1998 Playoff Contenders Ticket #92 reached $800, while his 1998 SP Authentic #18 RC is about $200.
Ahman Green, RB
Pick: 76 (Seahawks)
Green, the seventh running back drafted, didn’t make an impact until his third year when he joined the Packers. But he made four Pro Bowls with the team as a dual-threat weapon. He totaled 7,598 yards rushing and receiving from 2000-2003. He finished his career with more than 12,000 yards from scrimmage and 74 total touchdowns.
Green’s 1998 SP Authentic RC is one of the better cards in the set. 1998 Leaf Rookies and Stars is his second-best RC.
Hines Ward, WR
Pick: 92 (Steelers)
Thirteen receivers were drafted ahead of Ward. His 85 career touchdowns rank 15th all-time. At just 6 feet tall, he was one of the toughest players of his era and played all 14 seasons for the Steelers. He won two Super Bowls, and played in 18 postseason games totaling more than 1,100 yards. Ward finished with an even 1,000 career receptions and more than 12,000 receiving yards.
Because he was such a late pick, Ward was left out of some key sets in 1998. Oddly enough, he does have an autographed 1998 Playoff Contenders Ticket.
Matt Hasselbeck, QB
Pick: 187 (Packers)
The biggest sleeper pick of the class, Hasselbeck was a sixth-rounder and the seventh quarterback drafted. All he did was play for 17 seasons and make it to three Pro Bowls. He totaled 36,638 passing yards and 212 touchdowns. The bulk of his career was with the Seahawks, but Hasselbeck had just four winning seasons as a starter.
He has just one Rookie Card—1998 Collector’s Edge First Place.
Bust Picks
Ryan Leaf, QB
Pick: 2 (Chargers)
It’s crazy to think NFL experts were once splitting hairs between Manning and Leaf. Leaf played just three seasons, throwing two and a half times as many interceptions as touchdowns. He may be the biggest bust in NFL history.
Andre Wadsworth, DE
Pick: 3 (Cardinals)
The third overall pick wasn’t any better than the second. Like Leaf, Wadsworth played just three seasons. Knee injuries and multiple surgeries forced him out early. He totaled 72 tackles and eight sacks.
Curtis Enis, RB
Pick: 5 (Bears)
This first running back off the board, Enis came with a lot of hype from Penn State. The three-year trend continued with him, as the 2000 season was his last. He injured his knee in 1998, and it eventually caused him to retire after just 36 games. He did have a solid second year with more than 1,200 total yards.
Undrafted Stars
Mike Vanderjagt, K
Nine-year veteran, 2003 All-Pro
Phil Dawson, K
10th-leading scorer in NFL history
London Fletcher, LB
16-year career, 1,380 career tackles, four Pro Bowls
