The 2022 Donruss Optic soccer card set packs a little bit little bit of every part to enchantment to a broad vary of collectors.
However maybe most spectacular is its strong crop of big-name rookie playing cards…
Of the 300 playing cards within the guidelines, 100 obtain the “Rated Rookie” designation, with the remaining 200 made up of present veterans and retired superstars.
Aesthetically, the set options the identical imagery because the flagship 2022 Donruss set however with a chromium end for added pop.
Together with numbered parallels, there are a number of great-looking inserts, together with the ever-popular “Downtown” in addition to newcomers in “Diamond Fingers,” “Mild It Up,” and “Blazers.”
Total, it is a great-looking set that ought to have some long-term endurance, given the strong rookie class.
And on this information, we’ll check out the 15 most respected.
Let’s leap proper in!
2022 Donruss Optic #277 Brock Purdy Rookie Card
Estimated Base PSA 10 Worth: $100
From depth to darling, no person had a 12 months fairly like Brock Purdy.
The San Francisco 49ers chosen Purdy with the 262nd general decide of the 2022 NFL Draft, the ultimate number of the seven-round occasion.
The Iowa State QB was a tacked-on insurance coverage coverage, maybe as irrelevant as any Mr. Irrelevant we have had.
There was no manner Purdy may feasibly sniff taking part in time with Trey Lance in place and Nate Sudfeld seemingly locked in for the backup gig.
And when Jimmy Garoppolo re-signed, it seemed much more like a wrap.
Soccer’s fickle, although.
Purdy balled out in camp, sending Sudfeld to the minimize line.
He slotted in third as an emergency possibility behind Lance and Garoppolo, able to study with clipboard in hand.
Nicely, the emergency occurred.
Or emergencies, fairly.
Lance went down with a season-ending ankle damage in Week 2, and Garoppolo signed off in Week 13 with a damaged foot.
Immediately, Purdy was the man.
After which, he turned the man.
The 23-year-old accomplished 68.2 % of his passes from the primary quarter of Week 13 by means of the common season, tallying 13 touchdowns towards simply three interceptions.
San Francisco scored 33 factors or extra in 5 of their final six video games, ending 6-0 to run away with the NFC West at 13-4.
Purdy was a legit sensation.
Two playoff wins later, he was a first-year legend.
2022 Donruss Optic #206 Garrett Wilson Rookie Card
Estimated Base PSA 10 Worth: $40
On the offensive facet of the ball in New York, it was the Garrett Wilson Present.
That is outstanding, contemplating how miserable the workforce’s quarterback state of affairs was.
The four-headed QB headache of Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, Mike White, and Chris Streveler completed thirty first within the NFL in passing touchdowns (14) regardless of logging the seventh-most makes an attempt.
It was a dreadful 12 months for the Jets’ quarterback room.
So, how precisely did Garrett Wilson do what he did?
Maybe it was as a result of he was the one actual risk in a shallow Jets receiving corps.
Or, possibly it is as a result of he is simply that rattling good.
Regardless of the cause, Wilson was a minimize above the rookie pack in 2022.
The NFL Offensive Rookie of the 12 months set new first-year franchise data for receptions (83) and receiving yards (1,103) and tied for the NFL rookie lead with 4 landing catches.
He pressured missed tackles on over 1 / 4 of his receptions and topped 90 yards receiving on six events.
The previous Ohio State wideout earned each little bit of his NFL OROTY award.
However he nonetheless wished extra.
“We’re making an attempt to vary the tradition,” Wilson stated. “Awards are cool and all, however we wish to begin profitable video games.”
2022 Donruss Optic #275 Patrick Mahomes
Estimated Base PSA 10 Worth: $35
No Tyreek Hill, no downside for Patrick Mahomes in 2022.
The KC QB was a hot-take magnet all offseason lengthy, dodging barbs about his reliance on the newly-minted Miami Dolphins wideout and his supposed one-dimensional method below middle.
One author knocked him for a scarcity of “pure pocket presence.”
An enormous contract with much less big-name expertise, the 2018 NFL MVP wasn’t what everybody thought he was, was he?
Nope.
He was a lot better.
Mahomes pushed KC to a 14-3 file and a seventh straight AFC West title.
He was far and away the category of the QB place, main the league in yards (5,250), yards per recreation (308.8), QBR (79.0), passing touchdowns (41), and TD proportion (6.3), amongst different classes.
With much less established weapons at his disposal, Mahomes overcompensated and delivered essentially the most spectacular common season of his profession to date.
He captured 48 of fifty first-place votes to change into the tenth two-time MVP in NFL historical past and completed second to Justin Jefferson for NFL Offensive Participant of the 12 months.
And that was simply the appetizer.
Within the postseason, Mahomes accomplished a cool 72% of his passes in three one-score wins, throwing seven touchdowns and not using a decide to propel the Chiefs to a second championship in 4 years.
Regardless of an damage scare and a so-so first half, Mahomes took dwelling Tremendous Bowl MVP honors in a 38-35 thriller.
2022 Donruss Optic #183 Tom Brady
Estimated Base PSA 10 Worth: $30
When Tom Brady did an about-face and canceled his retirement plans, it was purported to be about soccer.
At 45, Brady wished nothing greater than to place Tampa Bay on his again and carry them to a Tremendous Bowl.
The whole lot else appeared to get in the best way.
Brady’s oft-publicized marriage to Gisele Bündchen fell aside, and the following divorce in October was headline information.
As well as, Brady was a figurehead within the fall of FTX, a cryptocurrency alternate that went stomach up in a torrential downpour of controversy.
His eight-figure stake within the firm was gone identical to that.
The Buccaneers had been a media circus.
So, it is no shock they completed 8-9, the worst file for a Brady-led workforce.
Tampa did squeak into the NFL Wild Card recreation because the champions of the mediocre NFC South however instantly suffered a 31-14 dwelling loss to Dallas.
It was a brutal cap to Brady’s one-of-a-kind profession.
He completed third within the league in passing yards (4,694), but that was extra attributable to quantity than the rest.
Brady paced the NFL in passing makes an attempt (733) and struggled to include his anger because the Bucs’ one-dimensional offense flailed about.
The GOAT remained the GOAT.
2022, nonetheless, was a finale value forgetting.
2022 Donruss Optic #213 Aidan Hutchinson Rookie Card
Estimated Base PSA 10 Worth: $30
From 1-6 to 9-8, the Detroit Lions had been the feel-good story of the 2022 NFL season.
The Lions will be the most snake-bitten franchise in the whole league, with simply three playoff appearances from 2000-2022 and only one convention championship look (1991) because the AFL/NFL merger.
An 8-2 end was trigger for boundless optimism.
To some, it could even have been value a parade.
On the middle of this Detroit resurgence was an inflow of blue-chip younger expertise.
And no participant from the workforce’s youth motion was extra important than Aidan Hutchinson.
Chosen 2nd general out of Michigan within the 2022 NFL Draft, Hutchinson got here to Motown as a well-rounded edge risk with a boatload of hype.
He was even higher than marketed, turning into the primary rookie in league historical past to publish 7.5 sacks (9.5), three interceptions, and two fumble recoveries.
He joins Corridor-of-Famer Richard Dent (1990) as the one defensive lineman to hit all three markers in a single season.
Hutchinson referred to as his debut 12 months an “appetizer” for issues to return.
Whereas there’s room for enchancment towards the run, it is wild to assume that the runner-up for 2022 NFL Defensive Rookie of the 12 months has much more up his sleeve.
2022 Donruss Optic #209 Chris Olave Rookie Card
Estimated Base PSA 10 Worth: $25
When the New Orleans Saints chosen WR Chris Olave with the eleventh decide of the 2022 NFL Draft, he knew why they referred to as his identify.
“I really feel like stretching the sector is my job and that is why that drafted me to be right here,” Olave stated. “I really feel like I can stretch the sector and get open always.”
New Orleans’ bottom-feeding passing recreation sunk their playoff hopes in 2021.
With Olave, new head coach Dennis Allen hoped to jolt the workforce’s aerial assault to life.
It certain helped.
The Ohio State product is simply the third Saints rookie to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards (1,042) in his debut 12 months.
Garrett Wilson might have gotten the headlines and the New York highlight, however Olave was arguably simply as worthwhile.
His 69.5 receiving yards per recreation topped all rookies, and he helped enhance the Andy Dalton/Jameis Winston duo to the center of the pack in most key passing stats.
Turnovers and poor red-zone effectivity in the end undid the 7-10 Saints’ offense.
It might have been a lot worse with out Olave.
2022 Donruss Optic #214 Breece Corridor Rookie Card
Estimated Base PSA 10 Worth: $25
After a 1-2 begin, the 2022 New York Jets caught fireplace for a few month, ripping off 4 straight wins (three on the highway) to affix the midseason listing of playoff contenders.
The sudden ascent of the Jets coincided with the emergence of working again Breece Corridor, a 2022 second-round decide with the big-play skill of a first-rounder.
New York moved as much as snag Corridor within the second, earmarking him as an integral a part of their backfield.
The 21-year-old Iowa State product rewarded the Jets’ religion in him with a superb seven-game debut.
Corridor rushed 80 instances for 463 yards (5.8 yards per carry) and 4 touchdowns, logging a rush of at the very least 14 yards in each recreation.
He additionally caught 19 balls on 31 targets, amassing 218 yards and a rating, breaking off a type of catches for 79 yards.
Via the opening snaps of New York’s Week 7 win at Denver, Corridor was on tempo for over 1,100 dashing yards and over 1,600 yards from scrimmage.
He seemed like a lock for NFL Offensive Rookie of the 12 months.
After which, destiny intervened.
A couple of minutes after setting a season-high with a 62-yard dashing landing, Corridor tore his ACL, ending his season when it was simply getting nice.
2022 Donruss Optic #39 Joe Burrow
Estimated Base PSA 10 Worth: $20
2022 Donruss Optic #201 Kenny Pickett Rookie Card
Estimated Base PSA 10 Worth: $20
Chosen twentieth general in 2022, Pickett was Pittsburgh’s first selection all draft cycle lengthy.
It was a match made in Metal Metropolis heaven: the previous Pitts star staying dwelling to guide the Steelers into a brand new period.
Pickett sat behind Mitch Trubisky to begin the ’22 marketing campaign, however not for lengthy.
He relieved Trubisky on the finish of a Week 4 loss to the Jets and was given the keys to the offense one week later.
The outcomes had been combined.
Pickett went 1-3 out of the gate, and the Steelers did not crack 13 factors in all however a type of video games.
Pittsburgh went into the bye week at 2-6, out of the playoff dialog and in turmoil.
Because it turned out, the week off was simply what Pickett wanted.
The 24-year-old signal-caller stayed on the town through the bye, working diligently to search out his rhythm.
His efforts paid off.
Pickett went 6-2 in his remaining eight begins, main the 9-8 Steelers to their nineteenth consecutive non-losing season.
And he did so in essentially the most dramatic of the way, orchestrating 4 game-winning drives and three fourth-quarter comebacks.
The New Jersey native accomplished 63.0% of his passes on the 12 months for two,404 yards, with seven touchdowns towards 9 interceptions.
They weren’t one of the best numbers, but it surely nonetheless translated to profitable soccer.
2022 Donruss Optic #223 George Pickens Rookie Card
Estimated Base PSA 10 Worth: $20
2022 Donruss Optic #228 Sauce Gardner Rookie Card
Estimated Base PSA 10 Worth: $20
No workforce in 2022 had a greater draft evening than the New York Jets.
New York picked fourth and tenth within the first spherical, leaving loads of room for booms and busts. Fortunate for them, it was all growth.
In succession, the Jets locked down the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the 12 months, Sauce Gardner, and the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the 12 months, Garrett Wilson.
It was a large prospect haul on the extent with one of the best of the previous few many years.
Within the case of Sauce Gardner, the Jets landed one of many recreation’s prime shutdown corners proper out of the field.
The previous Cincinnati Bearcat topped the NFL with 20 passes defended and led all rookie CBs with a 48.1 completion proportion towards.
He tallied two interceptions and 75 tackles and allowed simply two touchdowns all season lengthy.
The metrics weren’t simply good for a rookie.
They had been adequate to earn Gardner a First-Workforce All-Professional choice and a Professional Bowl spot.
His -28.8 goal EPA was the second-best for all cornerbacks through the ’22 marketing campaign.
And his status earned him the utmost respect from opposing coaches, to the extent that the Detroit Lions refused to throw at him in a Week 15 matchup.
2022 Donruss Optic #229 Bailey Zappe Rookie Card
Estimated Base PSA 10 Worth: $20
New England Patriots QB Bailey Zappe wasn’t purported to see the sector in 2022.
Accidents modified that inside a matter of weeks.
It is not that he did not have the pedigree to make it occur.
In his solely season at Western Kentucky, the soon-to-be Convention USA MVP set new FBS data for passing yards (5,967) and touchdowns (62).
Nonetheless, Zappe’s online game numbers for the Hilltoppers did not translate to his scouting report.
Whereas many scouts lauded his pocket IQ and accuracy, his relative lack of arm power capped him as a middle-round prospect.
Mac Jones was the incumbent #1 starter and Brian Hoyer added veteran insurance coverage.
Zappe was the clear #3.
After which, #1 and #2 went down.
Jones sprained his ankle on the ultimate snap of New England’s Week 3 loss to Baltimore.
Per week later, Hoyer suffered a first-quarter concussion towards Inexperienced Bay.
Zappe went 10 of 15 to complete off an additional time loss to the Packers and adopted that up with top-notch performances in wins over Detroit and Cleveland.
Jones returned to the beginning function quickly thereafter, ending Zappe’s transient dalliance as New England’s starter on a excessive word.
Zappe accomplished 70.7% of his passes for 787 yards over 4 video games (two begins) with 5 touchdowns and ended the marketing campaign with a stellar 100.9 quarterback ranking.
2022 Donruss Optic #157 Jalen Hurts
Estimated Base PSA 10 Worth: $15
The Philadelphia Eagles struck gold with Jalen Hurts.
Chosen 53rd general within the 2020 NFL Draft, Hurts’ athleticism made him an intriguing wild-card decide.
Nonetheless, whether or not he had the pocket presence to be a long-term beginning quarterback was a crapshoot.
2021 was a window into what Hurts could possibly be, but he was nonetheless uncooked and overreliant on his wheels.
In 2022, the Alabama/Oklahoma product turned promise into pure manufacturing.
Hurts completed 14-1 as a starter for the NFC’s #1 seed, finishing 66.5% of his 460 passing makes an attempt for 3,701 yards.
He tossed 22 touchdowns towards simply six interceptions, greater than doubling his TD/INT ratio from 1.78 in ’21 to three.67.
The most effective half was that Hurts’ evolution as a dropback passer did not minimize into his effectiveness as a rusher.
Whereas his yards per carry dropped from 5.6 to 4.6, Hurts logged career-highs in dashing makes an attempt (160), first downs (67), and dashing touchdowns (13).
Hurts completed a distant runner-up to Patrick Mahomes within the NFL MVP race, grabbing only one first-place votes to Mahomes’ 48.
The Eagles did have an opportunity to get the final snigger in Tremendous Bowl LVII, but fell to Harrison Butker’s last-second FG.
2022 Donruss Optic #202 Desmond Ridder Rookie Card
Estimated Base PSA 10 Worth: $15
2022 introduced us essentially the most muddled QB draft class in latest reminiscence.
Kenny Pickett was the one quarterback to listen to his identify referred to as within the first spherical.
Cincinnati product Desmond Ridder was the second off the board, but that did not come till Atlanta’s choice in the midst of the third spherical.
Ridder was removed from a can’t-miss decide.
Though his intelligence preceded him, there remained considerations about his skill to make choices on the fly.
On reflection, these considerations had been most likely justified.
In 2022, although, the jury was nonetheless out.
Headed into the bye week at 5-8, Falcons head coach Arthur Smith was able to see what Ridder needed to supply, benching Marcus Mariota after an up-and-down 13 video games.
Ridder seemed overmatched in losses to New Orleans and Baltimore however completed sturdy in season-ending wins over Arizona and Tampa.
His PFF passing grade (45.2) and adjusted completion proportion (64.3%) towards the Saints and Ravens positioned him on the backside of the NFL pile for Weeks 15 and 16.
In Weeks 17 and 18, he improved to tenth in passing grade (76.7) and sixteenth in adjusted proportion (73.1%).
Ridder ended his four-game debut with a 63.5% completion proportion, 708 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, zero interceptions, and an 86.4 quarterback ranking.
2022 Donruss Optic #205 Sam Howell Rookie Card
Estimated Base PSA 10 Worth: $15
The Washington Commanders took a late-round flier on Sam Howell within the 2022 NFL Draft, grabbing him with the 144th general decide.
Washington’s entrance workplace seemed on the 2019 ACC Rookie of the 12 months as a high-upside challenge, a well-built thrower with good arm power that would doubtlessly outgrow his limitations as an RPO system QB.
Based on studies, the Commanders might have focused Howell with a second or third-round choice if not for the commerce that introduced Carson Wentz to city.
As a substitute, they snatched the previous North Carolina Tarheel within the fifth and slotted him behind Wentz and Taylor Heinicke on the depth chart.
Howell moved into the backup function in Week 7 after Wentz went down with a finger damage and acquired his first likelihood as a starter in Week 18 following Washington’s elimination from the postseason combine.
He did superb sufficient towards a Cowboys workforce resting its starters, ending 11-of-19 for 169 yards with a landing and a decide in a 26-6 Washington win.
What caught the teaching employees’s eye was Howell’s demeanor.
He had the air of somebody who had been there earlier than.
One audition was all it took.
Howell would go from fifth-round add-on to Washington’s beginning QB in 2023.
2022 Donruss Optic Soccer Playing cards In Evaluation
It could not have the most important guidelines of the 12 months, however the 2022 Donruss Optic soccer set packs loads of firepower and plenty of great-looking playing cards.
Collectors at all times love chasing “Downtown” inserts and they won’t be upset by these on this set, given their distinctive and colourful designs.
Followers of parallels will discover two new ones in “Jazz” and “Electrical energy”, including some colour to any potential rainbow that one would possibly try.
Loads of big-name gamers signed for this set, together with rookies and big-name legends like Barry Sanders, for these fortunate sufficient to tug an auto.
As with all rookie class, a few of these guys might go on to Corridor of Fame careers whereas others might fade away.
Large names like Brock Purdy, Breece Corridor, Drake London, and Garrett Wilson have proven loads of promise, so let’s hope they maintain up effectively over time.
However one of many essential drawbacks of the rookie class is that it isn’t wanting like several of the quarterbacks outdoors of Brock Purdy are off to a scorching begin.
Who is aware of if that can change.
However, if it would not, that could possibly be a ding on this set over the long run as collectors are usually extra drawn to units with big-name rookie quarterbacks.
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