Buzz Break: 2018 Panini Contenders Draft Picks (blaster)

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The box: 2018 Panini Contenders Draft Picks football cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 7
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 42
Base set completion: 
34 of 100 (34 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables found on base cards – Nick Saban, Joe Namath, Clay Helton, Deion Sanders, Russell Wilson, Antonio Brown, Jameis Winston, Adrian Peterson, Marcus Allen, Dak Prescott, Randy Moss, Leonard Fournette, Odell Beckham Jr., Earl Campbell, Tony Dorsett, Christian McCaffrey, Ezekiel Elliott, Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, John Elway, Carson Wentz, Terry Bradshaw, Jerry Rice

Insert cards: 6 (all in gallery below with some base)
Blue parallel (1) – Brett Favre
Game Day Ticket (2) – Rashaad Penny, Mark Walton
Old School Colors (1) – Dak Prescott
School Colors (1) – Christian Kirk
Collegiate Connections (1) – Bo Scarbrough & Derrick Henry

Autographs/Memorabilia: 2
College Ticket autographs (2) – Tyquan Lewis, DeAndre Goolsby

What's Buzz-worthy: The formula for this one is very similar to past years but with far fewer insert cards per box but with a crisp and more sophisticated feel vs. at least last year. It's an improvement -- and I've had no problems with past Contenders Draft sets -- and one of the better Contenders ticket designs of the last few years, too. This particular box included a second-round draft pick of the Colts and the second auto is of a guy who has been signed. The design here is solid  despite the limitations of historic college photos and the addition of some coaches helps flesh out the college feel more -- they are a big deal in their states -- than just a basic draft picks release. (Here's hoping for college coach autos in the mix at some point.) The inserts are similar to past releases here names-wise but these, too, have a more detailed feel to the design. I only picked up one of these boxes (due to the Bowman hunt and crunch) but it surprised me, and it's one that I'll be digging into more this summer because of that. The hobby boxes are now in an auto-per-pack format with six per box so if you have a hobby shop option that's also definitely worth considering if you don't want a full box. 

Product Grade: A
Box Grade: B+
Fun Grade: A-

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