Buzz Break: 2019 Panini Contenders Draft Picks (FOTL box)

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2019 Panini Contenders Draft Picks football cards (FOTL hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 6
Cards per pack: 18
Cards in this box: 108
Base set completion: 
64 of 100 (64 percent)
Duplicates: 8

Notables on base cards – Joe Namath, Derrick Henry, Amari Cooper, Phillip Lindsay, Nick Mullens, Brett Favre, Mitchell Trubisky, Drew Brees, Leonard Fournette, Odell Beckham Jr., Terry Bradshaw, Saquon Barkley, Dan Marino, Marcus Mariota, Jerry Rice, Carson Wentz, Earl Campbell, Red Grange, Alvin Kamara, Peyton Manning, Barry Sanders, Cam Newton, Emmitt Smith, Tim Tebow, Deshaun Watson, Nick Chubb, J.J. Watt, Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes II, Derek Carr, Michael Thomas, Sam Darnold, Marcus Allen, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Andrew Luck, Christian McCaffrey, Adrian Peterson, Antonio Brown, Dak Prescott

Insert cards: 30 (all in gallery below with some base)
Bowl Ticket (1) – Russell Wilson (/99)
Connections (6) – Joey Bosa & Nick Bosa, Dwayne Haskins & Parris Campbell, Darrell Henderson & Tony Pollard, Drew Lock & Emanuel Hall, David Montgomery & Hakeem Butler, Kelvin Harmon & Ryan Finley
Draft Class (6) – Dwayne Haskins, Drew Lock, Justice Hill, JJ Arcega-Whiteside, A.J. Brown, Kelvin Harrison
Game Day Ticket (11) – Kyler Murray, Damien Harris, Rodney Anderson, Marquise Brown, Bryce Love, Ryan Finley, Brett Rypien, Will Grier, N'Kneal Harry, A.J. Brown, Drew Lock
Legacy (6) – Barry Sanders & Thurman Thomas, Emmitt Smith & Tim Tebow, Earl Campbell & Ricky Williams, Ray Lewis & Ed Reed, Joey Bosa & Nick Bosa, J.J. Watt & T.J. Watt

Autographs/Memorabilia: 6
College Ticket autographs (3) – Antoine Wesley, Keenen Brown, Jerry Tillery
College Ticket Cracked Ice autographs (1) – Brett Rypien (/23)
College Ticket Fame autographs (1) – Derrick Baity Jr. (/5)
Contenders Optic College Ticket autographs (1) – Darrell Henderson

What's Buzz-worthy: With an autograph in every pack and a format that still keeps things affordable, this FOTL box was one that was worth a try in my book. Why? Contenders Optic autos are in the mix and top names who'll be in play for this year's NFL Draft, which is next week. This box? It seemed to deliver pretty well  with the Optic as well as a pair of parallel autos. How big are my names? I'll have a better idea in a few days, though a couple of them seem notable to me. (I tend to focus on one college team and league and that's it for my college taste ... I could have used more of that team in my box.) There was some repetition in the base set -- and the stock is on the thin side that shows issues with corners and edges well on both fronts and backs -- and even on the ink. The value feels like it's there, though, if you rip in volume as that's when you should have a decent shot at big-name ink. Single packs can be hit and miss but they include a good amount with five or so inserts and an auto every time. The base set is made up of past and present greats and that's good, though it's a small set. Numerically, it's capped with the autos, which are all numbered as being part of a larger set but I'm not sure how many people might actually take on that challenge. The card backs, even for the autos seem to have a little more info than in the past, which is a plus, so ultimately it just comes down to who you land as to whether you get a good box. On the collecting and general card side, I'm comfortable with this release as a good example of college cardboard. Standard boxes of this one will arrive this week along with NFL fans needing cards of their new stars. They're worth a look -- hit the link above.

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

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