Let’s go though the best Kenny Pickett rookie cards.

At the current time of writing, rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett isn’t having the greatest start to the 2022/23 season. However, he was selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft after an amazing college career, and has shown signs that he has what it takes to become an outstanding quarterback in the league.

In 49 starts, Pickett led the Panthers to an 11-2 record and their first ACC championship, and ended 32-17 overall. He ended his college career as Pitt’s all-time leader in passing yards (12,303), pass completions (1,045), total offense (13,112), touchdown responsibility (102) and passing touchdowns (81). It’s easy to see why he’s rated so highly by management and collectors alike. 

Here’s a roundup with some of the best Kenny Pickett rookie cards on the market right now. 

The Best Kenny Pickett Rookie Cards

Having only just made his debut, we’ll be looking at the best Kenny Pickett rookie cards as of the beginning of the 2022/23 season.

5. 2021-22 Bowman University Football Kenny Pickett RC #BCPA-KP (eBay)

2021-22 Bowman University Football is an unlicensed collection that focuses on the best that the NCAA has to offer. Found in the Chrome Prospect Autographs subset, this Pickett XRC uses the same design as the base card contained within the set.

The addition of a 1st Bowman logo on the top left corner makes it highly collectible, while it also comes with a stickered auto, and a heap of serial numbered Refractor parallels. (The Green version is shown in the image above.)

• Parallels: Lava #/199, Green #/99, Yellow #/75, Gold #/50, Gold Lava #/50, Orange #/25, Orange Shimmer #/25, Red #/5, Red Shimmer #/5, SuperFractor 1/1

Check prices of 2021-22 Bowman University Football Kenny Pickett RC on eBay

4. 2022 Panini Mosaic Kenny Pickett RC #A-KPI (eBay)

2022 Panini Mosaic Draft Picks Football is where we’re heading next. As the name implies, it focuses on top draft picks from the 2022/23 season. There are a duo of Pickett autos found within the collection, in the Autographs and Scripts subsets. (The first is seen in the image above.) Each of the autos come with two parallels:

• Parallels: Gold #/10, Black 1/1

Check prices of 2022 Panini Contenders Kenny Pickett RC on eBay

3. 2022 Panini National Convention Wrapper Redemption Kenny Pickett RC #RC1 (eBay)

Released as part of an exclusive set given away at the 2022 National Sports Collectors Convention, this rare Kenny Pickett rookie card is limited to only 16 copies. The addition of an auto and the Cracked Ice design have seen various copies selling for over $1,100 in recent months. It’s hard to find many faults with this one. 

Check prices of 2022 Panini The National Kenny Pickett RC on eBay

2. 2021 Select Kenny Pickett XRC #401 (eBay) 

An early release from 2021 Panini Select Football, these premium Pickett XRCs can only be found in Hobby boxes, and they were released at a rate of three per case. That makes for a rare collectible that also comes with a trio of numbered parallels. 

• Parallels: Tie-Dye #/25, Gold #/10, Black 1/1

Check prices of 2021 Panini Select Kenny Pickett XRC on eBay

1. 2021 Panini Select Kenny Pickett XRC Auto /99 #424 (eBay)

Sticking with 2021 Panini Select Football, this premium signed option from the Mystery Autograph Prizm subset takes the top spot on our list. Kenny Pickett is one of five young stars given the signed XRC treatment. Limited to 99 copies, the black and gold design melds well with his Steelers uniform. The Tie-Dye Prizm version seen above takes it up a notch in terms of values and rarity. 

• Parallels: Tie-Dye #/25, Gold #/10, Black 1/1

Check prices of 2021 Panini Select Kenny Pickett XRC Auto on eBay

Buyers Guide 

If you’re thinking about adding a Pickett RC to your collection, here’s a brief guide containing cheap options and our top picks overall. 

There are lots of cheaper Kenny Pickett rookie cards, as well as XRCs. We’d start with the unsigned options mentioned above, including 2021-22 Bowman University Football parallels. 

Either of the Select XRCs, or the 2022 National Convention Cracked Ice auto would be our personal picks of the cards to make the list. It’s hard to go wrong with an early signed rookie card, even if it’s a stickered signature. 

Final Thoughts 

As of October 2022, the cards mentioned above are some of the best Kenny Pickett collectibles on the market. They’re sure to be joined by a host of strong options from popular sets as the season gets underway. 

We’d give Pickett time to adjust to the league before making assumptions about whether or not he’ll be able to make an impact. After seven interceptions in 13 quarters, Mike Tomlin came to his defense, as quoted by the Steelers website;

“He is a fish in water. It’s a natural act for him. He is a competitor. He’s got a thirst for it,” Tomlin said. “It’s been fun being in those circumstances. Obviously, we’d like the outcomes to be different. But communicating with him professionally, watching him operate, watching his demeanor, his approach to those circumstances is exciting and refreshing.”

For now, the majority of collectors seem to agree with this assessment, and it’s why you’ll see high prices for his best rookie cards. After all, it’s not out of the ordinary to see a young quarterback taking time to settle. We’re not ready to count him out yet.