As its succinct name suggests, the upcoming 2012-13 Signatures Basketball from Panini America will be all about autographs, delivering three of them in every four-card box. But the brand-new release also places an emphasis on clean designs, rare chase elements, photo variations and the Panini America NBA debut of autographed film slide cards.

Signatures Basketball (four cards per box, 12 boxes per case, $120/pack SRP) is slated to arrive in early July featuring Chase Rookies, Chase Legends and Chase Stars inserts that all will be numbered to 25 or less; the unique Signatures Film autographed insert will incorporate a photographic film slide in every card.

The Chase Rookies insert incorporates 15 of the best rookies from the 2011-12 and 2012-13 draft classes with 10 different photo variations of each player. Similarly, the Chase Stars insert also delivers multiple photo versions for each of the top NBA superstars on the checklist.

Both the Signatures and Signatures Film inserts boast expansive 200-card autographed checklists, while Die-Cut Signatures encompasses 150 of the game’s top current and retired players.

We’ll have tons more to share on 2012-13 Signatures Basketball in the coming weeks right here on The Knight’s Lance. But for now, enjoy your first extended look at the product in the preview gallery below.

All information is accurate at the time of posting. Content is subject to change. Card images are solely for the purpose of design display.

In just a few short hours, the first action-packed week of Panini America’s #PaniniPylon Prizm promotion comes to a close when the seventh batch of 10 cards ends over on the Panini Authentic auction platform. These particular cards — special florescent-orange 2012 Prizm Football 1/1s — hit the auction block yesterday at noon CST, headlined by the likes of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Dallas Cowboys receiver Miles Austin and Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson.

The Day Seven auctions end at noon CST today and will be followed immediately by 10 new auctions to official start the promotion’s second week. That process will continue for the next 21 days. You can access the complete Week 2 auction schedule here. Below, we’ve provided a gallery of all Day Seven cards that end today below. Clicking on the corresponding image below will take you directly to that card’s auction listing on Panini Authentic. Also below are the completed auction results to date.

Aaron Rodgers $325
Adrian Peterson $310
Alfred Morris $257
Peyton Manning $255
Eli Manning $226
Drew Brees $174
Julio Jones $172
Nick Toon $151
Bryce Brown $150
Josh Gordon $150
Robert Turbin $129
Von Miller $125
Josh Freeman $122
A.J. Green $120
Fred Jackson $120
Joe Flacco $119.99
T.Y. Hilton $111
Rob Gronkowski $110
A.J. Jenkins $109
C.J. Spiller $102
Terrell Suggs $101
Isaiah Pead $90
Brian Quick $89
Andy Dalton $76
Kevin Zeitler $75
Tony Gonzalez $69
Champ Bailey $68
Mohamed Sanu $68
Julius Peppers $67.05
Jared Allen $66
Torrey Smith $64
Ronde Barber $57
Josh Cribbs $57
Dwayne Allen $56
Brandon Taylor $55.55
Jared Crick $55
Andrew Hawkins $55
Heath Miller $55
Derek Wolfe $55
Dontari Poe $50
Josh Robinson $49
James Harrison $48.44
Kendall Reyes $47
Darren Sproles $47
Jacoby Ford $45.77
Bill Bentley $45.26
Jerod Mayo $44
Toby Gerhart $40
Joe McKnight $40
Titus Young $38.50
Donnie Avery $38
Matt Cassel $38
Mohamed Massaquoi $38
Jermaine Gresham $37
Tamba Hali $35.77
Kenny Britt $33
Kevin Walter $33
Isaac Redman $32.51
Steve Smith (Rams) $32.22
David Nelson $32

NEW YORK — Thirty-two different times tonight during the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft, league commissioner Roger Goodell will call out a name and make a dream come true for one of the most talented young football players on the planet. And just a few weeks later, Panini America will fulfill some dreams of its own by releasing the first officially licensed NFL Rookie Cards of tomorrow’s stars inside its landmark 2013 Score Football trading card set.

Tonight, in world-premiere fashion, Panini America will unveil images of the first official NFL Rookie Cards of top first-round selections in real time, as they’re drafted. Check back for exclusive updates throughout tonight’s first round.

2013 Score Football releases in late May and includes the unique Leon Sandcastle Rookie Card along with 100 other members of the 2013 rookie crop. Pre-order yours today at iCollectPanini.com.

Collectors over the years have had fun chasing down some of the greatest NFL Draft minds of all time that have dotted many a checklist in the fabled Fans of the Game sets. With the 2013 NFL Draft set to begin tonight at Radio City Music Hall, here’s a tribute to some of the Rookie Cards produced over the years from some of the key faces you will see tonight.

From Chris Berman to Mel Kiper to Chris Mortensen and seemingly every ESPN football face in between, not to mention NFL Network’s Rich Eisen, Fans of the Game was a true trailblazer of a set that still resonates all these years later — but especially on a night like tonight. Enjoy.

Be sure to follow @PaniniAmerica for real-time 2013 NFL #ScoreRookie card reveals of the top picks and their teams in tonight’s first round and use the hash tag #ScoreRookie.

NEW YORK — Long before they slipped into their best suits to rock the red carpet or stroll across the Radio City Music Hall stage and into the NFL, some of the top prospects from this week’s 2013 NFL Draft first walked into the Panini America room at the 2013 NFLPA Rookie Debut.

Once there, they signed some of their first autographs for upcoming Panini America trading cards, they received their vaunted Rated Rookie T-shirts, and they fielded the type of hard-hitting interview questions that only Panini America has the guts to ask.

OK, so maybe the questions weren’t that hard-hitting. But they did elicit some compelling, candid responses from the 12 future NFL stars — including the likes of Sylvester Williams, Giovani Bernard, Tyrann Mathieu, Datone Jones, A.J. Klein and more — who came through Wednesday afternoon not long after arriving in New York.

The following video provides just a little more insight into the men whose names you’ll be hearing a lot of during the next few days. And stick around after the video for a gallery that offers a sneak peek at the penmanship of this season’s top prospects.

Panini America, the world’s largest sports and entertainment collectibles company and the official trading card partner of the NFL Draft, announced today that it will produce officially licensed Rookie Cards of Leon Sandcastle, the NFL Network’s fictional top NFL draft prospect, for its first two 2013 trading card sets – Score and Prestige. Sandcastle will appear as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs and will join other members of the 2013 NFL Rookie Draft Class.

Sandcastle, played by NFL Hall of Famer and NFL Network personality Deion Sanders, first burst onto the scene as the subject of an entertaining Super Bowl XLVII commercial promoting the network’s months-long coverage leading up to this week’s 2013 NFL Draft. Sandcastle instantly became a social media phenomenon. Now, he’ll have his own Rookie Cards.

Sandcastle’s first cards will appear exclusively in retail packs of 2013 Score Football, which releases in late May and retails for $1.99 per pack. The landmark 25^th anniversary of the Score brand will feature Rookie Cards on the iconic 1989 Score design, including Sandcastle’s. Panini America also will include autographed Leon Sandcastle Rookie Cards in the late-June release of 2013 Prestige Football as a hobby exclusive.

“Leon Sandcastle’s larger-than-life persona took the NFL world by storm earlier this year and his presence in our first two products of 2013 season is a direct result of that,” said Panini America CEO Mark Warsop. “We had fans and collectors from all over asking us to make Sandcastle Rookie Cards a reality. Now that we’ve done that, we’re confident that his first trading cards will deliver a definite fun factor along with other 2013 NFL Rookies.”

Be sure to keep up with the Sandcastle craze by following @PaniniAmerica on Twitter using the hash tag #ScoreRookie. You can also pre-order 2013 Score Football now at iCollectPanini.com.

The scintillating first week of Panini America’s month-long 2012 Prizm Football #PaniniPylon Parallel promotion winds down on Thursday. But with just 70 of the 300 total 1/1 cards having hit the auction block in Week 1, that means there are 230 more collection-makers coming in the next three weeks. Indeed, beginning Friday at noon CST, a new week begins with 70 new collection-making possibilities.

Today, in advance of Friday’s Week 2 launch, we’re unveiling the complete auction schedule for the second week of the iCollectPanini.com promotion. Beginning Friday at 12 p.m. CST, the first 10 cards for Week 2 will be listed on the Panini Authentic auction site and will end the following day at 11:59 a.m. CST; 10 new cards will be auctioned each day for the next 22 days. You can get the complete day-by-day auction schedule for the second week — as well as fronts and backs of all 70 cards involved in the second week of the promotion — below.

Stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance for additional updates on the #PaniniPylon promotion and be sure to use the #PaniniPylon hash tag as you’re keeping up with the auctions on Twitter.

While the hoops world awaits Wednesday’s release of 2012-13 Preferred Basketball, we thought we’d take this opportunity to share just a glimpse of the NBA product Panini America has planned after Preferred. For the record, 2012-13 Past & Present Basketball is a pretty big flocking deal. Literally.

At least certain parts of the product are. Those familiar with last season’s premiere edition of Past & Present Basketball likely fondly remember it for its generation-blending MO that melded several old-school collecting concepts with the new-school feel of eye-popping print technologies. This year’s release follows much the same recipe, but with new designs, new technologies and a whole lot of flocking going on.

Flocking, at least in hobby terms, is a printing process that produces a velvet-like, textured surface to trading cards. In the case of 2012-13 Past & Present Basketball, that different-to-the-touch technology has been liberally and cleverly applied to the set’s Headbands and Championship Banners inserts. With the 2013 NBA Playoffs underway, many NBA superstars are wearing the former while attempting to earn the latter as we speak. So now seemed like the perfect time to preview these flocked phenomenons.

We managed to track down one uncut sheet that incorporated the flocking, as well as a few finished Championship Banners cards, for the following sneak peek.

We’ll have tons of additional coverage on 2012-13 Past & Present Basketball in the coming days right here on The Knight’s Lance. But for now, take a little time to sit back and appreciate the flocking.

At 12 p.m. CST yesterday, Day Four of Panini America’s month-long #PaniniPylon Prizm promotion kicked off on the Panini Authentic auction platform as the next 10 cards — special florescent-orange 2012 Prizm Football 1/1s — hit the auction block. The hit list for Day Four — and for one day only — is headlined by the likes of Super Bowl champion Eli Manning of the New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton.

Day Four’s auctions end at noon CST today and will be followed immediately by 10 new auctions. That process will continue for the next 25 days. You can access the complete first-week auction schedule here. Below, we’ve provided a gallery of the Day Four cards that end later today. Clicking on the corresponding image below will take you directly to that card’s auction page on Panini Authentic. Also below are the completed auction results to date.

Aaron Rodgers $325
Alfred Morris $257
Peyton Manning $255
Julio Jones $172
Bryce Brown $150
Josh Gordon $150
Fred Jackson $120
Joe Flacco $119.99
T.Y. Hilton $111
Rob Gronkowski $110
C.J. Spiller $102
Champ Bailey $68
Jared Allen $66
Torrey Smith $64
Josh Cribbs $57
Dwayne Allen $56
Brandon Taylor $55.55
Jared Crick $55
Andrew Hawkins $55
Derek Wolfe $55
Dontari Poe $50
James Harrison $48.44
Darren Sproles $47
Bill Bentley $45.26
Toby Gerhart $40
Titus Young $38.50
Tamba Hali $35.77
Kevin Walter $33
Isaac Redman $32.51
Steve Smith (Rams) $32.22

The Panini America Marketing Team didn’t necessarily receive preferential treatment earlier today. But we did appreciate the Preferred treatment. Indeed, the marketing allotment of 2012-13 Preferred Basketball boxes arrived just a bit ago. Obviously, we couldn’t wait to rip a few of them open for preview purposes.

So I grabbed the first two boxes I could get my hands on and hastily ripped them open, with my trusty iPhone camera in hand to document the proceedings to give collectors a better idea of what boxes of Preferred might deliver when they release on Wednesday.

Each box of 2012-13 Preferred Basketball yields three on-card autographs and one multi-piece memorabilia booklet card. Boasting a vast new array of booklet possibilities and true Rookie Cards for the first time, the product offers a highly anticipated follow-up to last season’s sterling debut.

See what we mean by perusing the contents of the two boxes we opened, and stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance for additional coverage of 2012-13 Preferred Basketball later this week.

With seemingly every new release, Panini America’s Prizm technology continues etching its place deeper and deeper into the sweet spot of America’s collecting conscious. The phenomenon that began with 2012-13 Prizm Basketball and continued with 2012 Prizm Football added a new chapter last week with the release of 2012 Prizm Baseball.

Late last week, Panini America’s Tracy Hackler and Tim Trout sat down with one enchanting box of the stuff to produce this special episode of Panini Unwrapped. After you’ve watched the video to gauge this product’s myriad possibilities (including Prizm parallels, the USA Baseball inclusions and an impressive autograph checklist), stick around for a special Sunday Scavenger Hunt that will award some lucky collectors with unopened boxes of 2012 Prizm Baseball as well as both autographs pulled in this video.

Now that you’ve watched the video, we’re going to give you a chance to win one box of 2012 Prizm Baseball or both of the autographs pulled from this box with another Knight’s Lance Scavenger Hunt.

As our loyal visitors know, we counted down to the launch of 2012 Prizm Baseball over the last few weeks by delivering several preview galleries as a means of preparing collectors for the launch. And three times amid the galleries linked below, we’ve hidden the image at the top of this post (the one showing a slightly pained Tim Trout and Hackler in a Broncos jersey).

You’re mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find those three images and then to tell us — AS A COMMENT TO THIS POST — on which images you found them.

We’ll wait to approve all comments until after the entry deadline, which is tomorrow, April 22, at 10:00 a.m. (CST), so your comment will appear to you as “pending moderation.” That’s our way of protecting your answers to the Scavenger Hunt so that everyone else can’t see them. To that end, we kindly ask that you keep your Scavenger Hunt answers to yourself until after the deadline. We want to reward those folks who’ve taken the time and effort to find the two hidden images.

We’ll then place all correct entries into an online randomizer to select four winners: Three winners will win one box of 2012 Prizm Baseball, one winner will take home the two autographs from this box.

Got all that? Thanks in advance for your participation. Here are your galleries. Let the 2012 Prizm Baseball Knight’s Lance Scavenger Hunt begin (and remember to get your entry in by 10:00 a.m. CST tomorrow) . . .

Teaser Gallery: Panini America Cracks First Two Boxes of 2012 Prizm Baseball

The Panini America Quality Control Gallery: 2012 Prizm Baseball (Prizms & Autographs)

The Panini America Quality Control Gallery: 2012 Prizm Baseball (Base Cards & Inserts)

At 12 p.m. CST today, Day Two of Panini America’s #PaniniPylon Prizm promotion kicked off on the Panini Authentic auction platform as the next 10 cards — special florescent-orange 2012 Prizm Football 1/1s — hit the auction block. The hit list for today — and for one day only — is headlined by the likes of Denver Broncos teammates Peyton Manning and Champ Bailey, Philadelphia Eagles running back Bryce Brown and Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones.

Today’s auctions end at noon CST tomorrow and will be followed immediately by 10 new auctions. That process will continue for the next 27 days. You can access the complete first-week auction schedule here. Below, we’ve provided a gallery of today’s cards. Clicking on the corresponding image below will take you directly to that card’s auction page on Panini Authentic.

Below are the complete results from Day One:

Alfred Morris $257
Rob Gronkowski $110
C.J. Spiller $102
Jared Allen $66
Josh Cribbs $57
Brandon Taylor $55.55
Jared Crick $55
Andrew Hawkins $55
Derek Wolfe $55
Titus Young $38.50

In an effort to keep collectors updated on the status of those Panini America redemption cards that are currently being processed, we’ll post a list every week, like the one included in the attachments below, detailing the most recent cards being fulfilled this week.

The following list is intended to inform collectors about which redemption cards from which products are being processed this week. We’ll update this list every Friday afternoon, so stay tuned next week if you don’t see your card here.

These weekly reports often include “rebatched” redemptions — cards from widely broken products that have been previously redeemed but required subsequent shipments due to high volume. In some cases, the cards listed have been fulfilled with replacement cards.

If you have specific redemption questions, you can contact the Panini America Customer Service department via email at hobby@paniniamerica.net and the Panini America Customer Service Manager via Twitter.

Here’s this week’s report in Excel format: April 19 Redemption Update

Here’s this week’s report in PDF format: April 19 Redemption Update

For additional recent updates, click on the following links:

Panini America’s Weekly Redemption Card Update: Football Rookies, Pete Rose, More
Panini America’s Weekly Redemption Card Update: RG III, Russell Wilson and More
Panini America’s Weekly Redemption Card Update: Kyrie, Russell Wilson and More
Panini America’s Weekly Redemption Card Update: Jagr, Modano, Hoops and More
Panini America’s Weekly Redemption Card Update: Luck, Limited Hockey and More

Here’s one sure sign that it’s been way too long since we last visited the fabled Panini America Routing Table: It’s not even a table anymore. It’s been upgraded to a full-blown Routing Section, wedged neatly into a lightly trafficked hallway between the Product Development and Prepress departments. In any event, I ventured back there earlier this week to see what I could find — and I struck gold.

Dominating the Routing Table on this particular day were several tell-tale routings from the upcoming 2013 Golden Age Baseball release.

In the gallery below, we profile many of the entertaining, compelling and unique aspects of 2013 Golden Age Baseball, which includes an expanded presence of The Three Stooges, several new personalities and a fascinating base-set design.

For those who don’t know, the Panini America Routing Table is the common collecting ground for proofs that will soon enough become some of the most collected cards in the country. Approval routings, as their name suggests, are essentially early, copy-paper drafts of trading cards that require the initialed approval internally from members of the Panini America photo, editorial, prepress, marketing and design teams. Once they have that, they’re sent to the appropriate licensing office — primarily electronically but occasionally via expedited air shipping — for the most important seal of approval.

You’ll also often find “Test RIPs” (sometimes called “match prints”) on the Routing Table, which are laminate color-proof files that provide anyone looking with the closest representation possible of what the final printed card will look like.

Keep in mind while you’re perusing the following Golden Age routings that some of the images include extremely preliminary concepts that might incorporate player and team names intended for sizing or design purposes only. So if you see, for instance, a mismatched player or team name, don’t be alarmed. As we say in the business, such things at this early stage are “FPO” (for position only). Many times, though, they’re for your viewing enjoyment, too.

The madness has begun. At 12 p.m. CST today, Panini America’s #PaniniPylon Prizm promotion kicked off on the Panini Authentic auction platform as the first 10 cards — special florescent-orange 2012 Prizm Football 1/1s — hit the auction block. The hit list for today — and for one day only — is headlined by the likes of Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller.

Today’s auctions end at noon CST tomorrow and will be followed immediately by 10 new auctions. That process will continue for the next 28 days. You can access the complete first-week auction schedule here. Below, we’ve provided a gallery of today’s cards. Clicking on the corresponding image below will take you directly to that card’s auction page on Panini Authentic. Enjoy.

Think back to the time when you first purchased packs of baseball cards. For most of us that started in 1989 or before we would rip open the new wax packs and quickly stuff the gum in our mouth (YES packs of cards had real chewing gum in them and you could eat it!) and then begin the sorting process! The sorting process was a bit different for each kid. Some sorted out their favorite player. Some sorted out their favorite team. Still others sorted out rookies and star players that were doing well in the Majors at that time. But after the sorting was done the trading began! Tigers for Yankees, Reds for Cardinals and Royals for anything else!

Then the real quandary began. Where do I put these cards to keep them safe from my mom throwing them away?! If you were like most kids you simply stacked them in a shoe box or maybe wrapped them with a rubber band and put in the shoe box. (Modern day collectors are cringing and maybe breaking out in cold sweats as they read these words) When I first started collecting there was no eBay or any other such outlet to buy and sell single cards. So we didn’t really care much about the condition of the cards, we just admired the players on them and loved showing them off to our friends!

Then came along companies like Ultra Pro (http://www.ultrapro.com/) and others like them. They offered plastic 9 pocket pages that could hold our cards and be contained in binders! Mothers of the world rejoiced! Kids who didn’t want Mom to trash their cards anymore rejoiced as well! These 9 pocket pages were so cool, you could put 9 different cards in them and be able to show them off to your friends with ease! I even remember hanging some of them on my walls as a display for my cards! I remember putting full teams in them as they were positioned in the batting lineups! There was so many ways to sort and display them in these glorious pages!

Then as the sports card industry got bigger and better there was an explosion of things you could purchase to protect your cards! There were simple “card sleeves,” which was a card-sized envelope of clear plastic, with one end open to slide the card in. (Simple but easily bent, not very protective) Next was a  ”top-loader”, a rigid plastic case with one open end that was made for a single card or maybe two at best. (Better, kept cards from bending but were clumsy to hold a lot of them) Then came the big “screw down” holders which were made of solid leucite and ranged from a 1/4 inch think to 1 inch thick!! (For your ”BIG MONEY” cards, lol!)

All the while, companies were trying to come up with the next best thing to hold your collection. As we moved into the most recent years of collecting “One Touch” holder have become the big thing, they hold a card in a two piece design with a slide-in hinge and tight magnetic closure. Amazing, we have magnets protecting out cardboard cards now.

I have explained all these protective items because all this protection has been a very nice way to keep our cards nice, clean and perfect. Sometimes though, I think it was so much more fun back in the days when we actually held the cards, read the cards, traded the cards and maybe even put the cards in our pocket because our favorite player was on those cards. It seems that with all of the advancements in protection of our cards we have lost the bond that we once had with our collections and possibly the players that are on the cards in our collection.

That just might be my love of these simple cardboard cards speaking up, but there is still many worn, torn and wrinkled cards from my early years of collecting that I have in my collection that I hold a special place in my heart. 

As I have said before… Hello. My name is Joe and I am a Sports Card Collector.

Thanks and feel free to leave your comments here or contact me on Twitter @garpike28

   God Bless Boston!

Mel Kiper Jr. has nothing on Jason Howarth, Panini America’s Boston-bred Vice President of Marketing. For Howarth, next week’s 2013 NFL Draft is something akin to Christmas. Howarth is an unabashed NFL draftnik. He loves the stuff. So when he proposed the idea of conducting the inaugural Panini America mock draft a few weeks ago, we jumped at the opportunity (partially because he’s the boss, partially because it was a great idea).

But whereas most secular mock drafts this time of year focus on individual team needs or best-player-available discussions or directional trading, there is only one criteria that matters in the inaugural Panini America mock draft: Collectibility. Who are the 32 most collectible rookies coming into the NFL this year? The answers to that question not only drove the seven Panini America officials who participated in this draft, they will also drive the Rookie Card content of every last one of Panini America’s 2013 NFL trading card products.

Those were the marching orders used by Panini America’s Howarth, Ben Ecklar, Aik Tongtharadol, D.J. Kazmierczak, Tim Franz, Scott Prusha and Tracy Hackler. One by one below, our mock drafters lay out their picks for the 32 most collectible rookies of 2013, each offering a few words of rationale at the top of their list. In addition, we also gave each man an additional “wish pick” — that is, which top rookie they’d select for their favorite NFL team. For that pick, we’ve also mocked up a 2013 Score Football Rookie Card just to bring things home.

So, without further ado, we proudly present the Panini America 2013 NFL Mock Draft. Enjoy — and stay tuned next week when Panini America, the official and exclusive trading card partner of the NFL Draft, reports on all of the action live on location from Radio City Music Hall.

Jason Howarth, Panini America Vice President of Marketing
Favorite NFL Team: New England Patriots
Wish Pick: DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson

Overview:
If last year’s NFL rookie excitement was all about the QBs, this year’s is all about the WRs from a collectibility perspective. You have to  be excited with each of the top WRs and their ability to step in and have a more immediate impact on their team than any other position in this year’s draft – especially when you consider that they will likely be going to teams with established QBs. It is the most dominant spot in my mock draft with 10 overall picks, including my wish list WR for the Patriots – Clemson’s DeAndre Hopkins. The next most-collectible position in my draft for this year is QBs with nine picks, including Denard Robinson, projected to play WR in the NFL. He’s definitely a surprise in my top 32 but I couldn’t pass up a Michigan guy!. The RB spot comes in with five picks in my mock, including Marcus Lattimore at No. 32. He was projected to be a top 10 pick before he got injured. If ever there were a case to be made for collecting a rookie RB and holding on to him, it’s Lattimore. Rounding out the offensive side of the ball, I took two TEs in my top 32. The emergence of dominant, game-changing TEs in the NFL can’t be overlooked, and both Eifert and Ertz could very well continue that trend. I took defensive players with six of my 32 picks and, while we often have discussions internally about the value of defensive players, it’s hard not to think these guys won’t be collectible even if they don’t command the collecting dollars that offensive players do. There were a number of occasions as I narrowed down my 32 picks when I wished I had more so I could take some defensive guys that I think will be fun to watch. Ultimately, though, they ended up on the sideline. Fake girlfriend or not, I still slotted Manti Te’o at No. 13 in my mock as he will be interesting to watch.

1. Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
2. Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama
3. Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee
4. Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
5. Keenan Allen, WR, California
6. Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse
7. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson
8. Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee
9. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
10. Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama
11. Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
12. Matt Elam, S, Florida
13. Manti Te’o, MLB, Notre Dame
14. Mike Glennon, QB, North Carolina State
15. Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame
16. Robert Woods, WR, USC
17. Quinton Patton, WR, Louisiana Tech
18. Giovani Bernard, RB, UNC
19. Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin
20. Le’Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State
21. Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford
22. Tyrann Mathieu, CB, LSU
23. EJ Manuel, QB, Florida State
24. Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas
25. Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
26. Tyler Bray, QB, Tennessee
27. Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington
28. Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon State
29. Da’Rick Rodgers, WR, Tennesse Tech
30. Cobi Hamilton, WR, Arkansas
31. Denard Robinson, WR, Michigan
32. Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina

D.J. Kazmierczak, Panini America Vice President of Sales
Favorite NFL Team: Denver Broncos
Wish Pick: Mike Glennon, QB, North Carolina State

Overview:
My rationale was collectibility and also trying to consider team need while knowing that this is in no way how the draft will go. Most of these players will end up on different teams. For example, the Chiefs won’t draft a QB at No. 1 now, so that takes Geno Smith off of my draft board there even though, from a collectibility standpoint, he might be the most marketable guy.

1. Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama
2. Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
3. Cordarelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee
4. Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State
5. Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
6. Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame
7. Robert Woods, WR, USC
8. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
9. Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama
10. Jamar Taylor, CB, Boise State
11. Keenan Allen, WR, California
12. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson
13. Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame
14. Quinton Patton, WR, Louisiana Tech
15. Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse
16. Eric Reid, S, LSU 
17. E.J. Manuel, QB, Florida State
18. Johnathan Franklin, RB, UCLA
19. David Amerson, CB, North Carolina State
20. Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee
21. Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin
22. Terrance Wiliams, WR, Baylor
23. D.J. Hayden, CB, Houston
24. Phillip Thomas, S, Fresno State
25. Vance McDonald, TE, Rice
26. Le’Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State
27. Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon State
28. Aaron Dobson, WR, Marshall
29. Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas
30. Travis Kelce, TE, Cincinnati
31. Giovani Bernard, RB, UNC
32. Da’Rick Rogers, WR, Tennessee Tech

Tim Franz, Panini America Sales Director
Favorite NFL Team: Miami Dolphins
Wish Pick: Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama

Overview:
Let’s face it, with Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck and RG III, who knows what the prototypical NFL QB looks like anymore. Hence, you will find five QBs in my top 10, including the rifle-armed Mike Glennon. Quarterbacks always lead the charge in collectibility, and this year’s QB class will undoubtedly astound us all.  No one will dispute that Eddie Lacy is the best RB in the draft, and in terms of natural ability and downright beastliness, the potential is limitless for this fleet footed 230-pound tailback. Let the “bro-mance” begin as I am vying for the Dolphins to select him with their first pick – 12^th overall. The Houston Texans are one “Welker-type” receiver away from a Super Bowl and Texas A&M’s Ryan Swope, with his size and deceptive speed, will have fans booking last-minute trips to NYC. Don’t forget about my 32^nd pick – the Honey Badger. Tyrann Mathieu will continue to capture national attention and, with any luck, his playmaking skills are how he will make his mark in the NFL. Finally, we are all speculating on the depth at WR and I believe names like Austin, Hunter and Allen will be household first names come December, provided that they land on the right teams.

1. Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
2. Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
3. Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse
4. EJ Manuel, QB, Florida State
5. Cordarrellle Patterson, WR, Tennessee
6. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson
7. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
8. Mike Glennon, QB, North Carolina State
9. Robert Woods, WR, USC
10. Christine Michael, RB, Texas A&M
11. Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia
12. Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama
13. Quinton Patton, WR, Louisiana Tech
14. Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee
15. Tyler Bray, QB, Tennesse
16. Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin
17. Keenan Allen, WR, California
18. Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama
19. Giovani Bernard, RB, UNC
20. Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas
21. Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
22. Andre Ellington, RB, Clemson
23. Jonathan Frankin, RB, UCLA
24. Le’Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State
25. Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame
26. Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State
27. Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M
28. Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State
29. Dernard Robinson, WR, Michigan
30. Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina
31. Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame
32. Tyrann Mathieu, CB, LSU

Ben Ecklar, Panini America Director of NFL Product Development
Favorite NFL Team: San Diego Chargers
Wish Pick: Matt Scott, QB, Arizona

Overview:
Impact offensive skill position drives this hobby; we want to see the next generation of young stars make an impact early on and not let up — just as we saw in 2012. My mock draft includes all offense all the time, from the first pick through the 32nd, and they’re all ready to have an impact now . . . like the extremely mobile quarterbacks from the last two drafts (RG III/Colin Kaepernick/Russell Wilson/Cam Newton) . . . the workhorse backs that just keep on going (Alfred Morris/Doug Martin/Trent Richardson) and are always ready to make quick transitions to the NFL . . . the  dependable wideouts (A.J. Green/Julio Jones/Justin Blackmon/Michael Floyd) . . . and  the versatile, athletic tight ends flying by linebackers (Rob Gronkowski/Jimmy Graham). Player comparisons from the 2013 class to current NFL players have already been made; including comparisons to Kaepernick, Wilson, Sam Bradford, Steven Jackson, LeSean McCoy, Maurice Jones-Drew, Jones, Reggie Wayne, Percy Harvin, Anquan Boldin and Jason Witten. In all I picked four QBs, 10 RBs, 13 WRs and five TEs.

1. Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
2. Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
3. Cordarrelle Paterson, WR, Tennessee
4. E.J. Manuel, QB, Florida State
5. Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama
6. Keenan Allen, WR, California
7. Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame
8. Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse
9. Jonathan Franklin, RB, UCLA
10. Robert Woods, WR, USC
11. Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin
12. Zac Ertz, TE, Stanford
13. Vance McDonald, TE, Rice
14. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson
15. Quinton Patton, WR, Louisiana Tech
16. Le’Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State
17. Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee
18. Giovanni Bernard, RB, UNC
19. Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State
20. Terrance Williams, WR, Baylor
21. Andre Ellington, RB, Clemson
22. Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon State
23. Aaron Dobson, WR, Marshall
24. Stepfan Taylor, RB, Stanford
25. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
26. Christine Michael, RB, Texas A&M
27. Da’Rick Rogers, WR, Tennessee Tech
28. Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina
29. Travis Kelce, TE, Cincinnati 
30. Gavin Escobar, TE, San Diego State
31. Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M
32. Marquise Goodwin, WR, Texas

Aik Tongtharadol, Panini America NFL Brand Manager
Favorite NFL Team: Green Bay Packers
Wish Pick: Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama

Overview:
The challenge with picking players this early is balancing college performance and following with NFL potential without knowing what team they will eventually land on. While the QB situation isn’t as top-heavy as the 2012 class, I still think some of the mid-round guys will be intriguing upside plays for the future, in particular Matt Scott and Zac Dysert. I found the last four or five spots to be the most difficult. I just missed on Mike Gillislee, Andre Ellington, Le’veon Bell and Cierre Wood although they have shown decent early-year returns. For my wish pick, I’d love to see the Packers realistically land Eddie Lacy. Over the past three seasons, the Packers are league-worst in yards per rush and rushing touchdowns. This is a good chance to pick up a quality player while not having to reach for him.

1. Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
2. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
3. Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
4. Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama
5. Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas
6. E.J. Manuel, QB, Florida State
7. Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee
8. Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin
9. Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame
10. Denard Robinson, WR, Michigan
11. Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma 
12. Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina
13. Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse
14. Robert Woods, WR, USC
15. Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame
16. Terrance Williams, WR, Baylor
17. Keenan Allen, WR, California
18. Tyrann Mathieu, CB, LSU
19. Jonathan Franklin, RB, UCLA
20. Kenjon Barner, RB, Oregon
21. Rex Burkhead, RB, Nebraska
22. Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee
23. Giovani Bernard, RB, UNC
24. Zac Dysert, QB, Miami (Ohio)
25. Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama
26. Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State
27. Mike Glennon, QB, South Carolina
28. Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford
29. Tyler Bray, QB, Tennessee
30. Barkevious Mingo, DE, LSU
31. Dion Jordan, LB, Oregon
32. Matt Scott, QB, Arizona

Scott Prusha, Panini America Marketing Manager
Favorite NFL Team: Dallas Cowboys
Wish Pick: Rex Burkhead, RB, Nebraska

Overview:
Collectors love their quarterbacks, and if you look back on values over the years, the key QBs not only top the list, but the next level of signal-callers still carries a slight premium over star runners and receivers. It was hard to rank the RBs and WRs before you see where they will land, but a lot of guys in the right situation could make a big jump. That’s why I picked a guy like Landry Jones to rank toward the top before the draft because collectors will go for name value vs. situation until draft day. Speaking of name value, I have Manti Te’o and Tyrann Mathieu up higher because of their name recognition and strong school collector base. I went with a homer pick for my wish pick, but if it wasn’t for injuries, Rex Burkhead would rank higher and would be getting more draft buzz. He could be a steal and a great compliment for DeMarco Murray if the Cowboys got him late — and his cardboard would go through the roof.

1. Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
2. E.J. Manuel, QB, Florida State
3. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
4. Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse
5. Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama
6. Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
7. Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee
8. Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin
9. Giovani Bernard, RB, UNC
10. Denard Robinson, WR, Michigan
11. Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
12. Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas
13. Johnathan Franklin, RB, UCLA
14. Le’Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State
15. Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame
16. Christine Michael, RB, Texas A&M
17. Robert Woods, WR, USC
18. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson
19. Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame
20. Tyrann Mathieu, CB, LSU
21. Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina
22. Mike Glennon, QB, South Carolina
23. Matt Scott, QB, Arizona
24. Andre Ellington, RB, Clemson
25. Terrence Williams, WR, Baylor
26. Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee
27. Ryan Griffin, QB, Tulane
28. Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama
29. Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida
30. Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU
31. Dion Jordan, LB, Oregon
32. Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M

Tracy Hackler, Panini America Hobby Marketing Manager
Favorite NFL Team: Denver Broncos
Wish Pick: Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M

Overview:
If you mix a lot of what my distinguished colleagues Tim Franz and Ben Ecklar said above, you’ll have a general understanding of my rationale for the following 32 picks. I’m a firm believer in the “Offense Sells Trading Cards” philosophy and with precious few exceptions (Manti Te’o being one and my man-crush-in-waiting, Tyrann Mathieu, being the other), my draft is completely dominated by offense. Speaking of budding bromances, I’d be over the moon if the Broncos somehow landed Texas A&M receiver Ryan Swope at No. 28. He’s tailor-made to be a bone fide slot machine, and the prospects of him learning under Peyton Manning and Wes Welker are downright dreamy. In fact, if my Broncos play their cards right (pun intended), it’s possible that they end up with both of those collecting targets next week in real life. Unfortunately, for the purposes of this draft, they don’t.

1. Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
2. Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
3. Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee
4. Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama
5. Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame
6. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
7. E.J. Manuel, QB, Florida State
8. Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin
9. Robert Woods, WR, USC
10. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson
11. Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame
12. Keenan Allen, WR, California
13. Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford
14. Denard Robinson, WR, Michigan
15. Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M
16. Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse
17. Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee
18. Tyrann Mathieu, CB, LSU
19. Jonathan Franklin, RB, UCLA
20. Mike Glennon, QB, South Carolina
21. Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas
22. Terrance Williams, WR, Baylor
23. Da’Rick Rogers, WR, Tennessee Tech
24. Christine Michael, RB, Texas A&M
25. Vance McDonald, TE, Rice
26. Giovani Bernard, RB, UNC
27. Quinton Patton, WR, Louisiana Tech
28. Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
29. Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina
30. Aaron Dobson, WR, Marshall
31. Rex Burkhead, RB, Nebraska
32. Dustin Hopkins, K, Florida State

The countdown is on. In less than two days, Panini America will officially kick off the 2012 Prizm Football Panini Pylon Parallel promotion by launching the first of 300 one-day auctions being hosted on the Panini Authentic auction platform. We provided preliminary details on the brightly colored, one-of-a-kind cards that form the foundation of this program — special florescent-orange editions of the each base and Rookie Card from 2012 Prizm Football — last week.

Today, we’re unveiling the auction schedule for the first week of the iCollectPanini.com promotion. Beginning Friday at 12 p.m. CST, the first 10 cards will be listed on the Panini Authentic auction site and will end the following day at 11:59 a.m. CST; 10 new cards will be auctioned each day for the next 29 days. You can get the complete day-by-day auction schedule for the first week — as well as fronts and backs of all 70 cards involved in the first week of the promotion — below.

Stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance for additional updates on the Panini Pylon Parallel promotion and be sure to use the #PaniniPylon hash tag as you’re keeping up with the auctions on Twitter.

Here’s a link to Week 1′s action: Week One Pylon Sked

The NBA will conclude its 2012-13 regular season today with a full slate of 15 games, which means we’re precariously close to the splendor of the postseason — when play on the court heats up considerably. Fittingly, the basketball action in the hobby is on the verge of heating up, too. One week from today, 2012-13 Preferred Basketball goes live, providing the heavily anticipated follow-up to last season’s successful debut.

On Monday provided a tiny glimpse into the content-rich new edition, which delivers three on-card autographs and one memorabilia booklet card in every four-card box. Today, we’re pulling the curtain back completely by sharing much of what was uncovered yesterday during the Quality Control process. Boasting true Rookie Cards for the first time, a bevy of new booklets and the return of popular Silhouettes, Rookie Silhouettes and Panini’s Choice Award die-cuts, Preferred is primed to shine in its sophomore season.

You can see exactly what we mean by perusing the comprehensive gallery below — and stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance for additional coverage of 2012-13 Preferred Basketball in the coming days.

Late last month, just one day after Panini America announced that it had inked Washington Nationals superstar Stephen Strasburg to an exclusive autographed trading card deal, Tone Stakes was in Florida conducting the company’s first signing with the pitching sensation. Strasburg’s first order of business that day was signing his premiere Panini America autographs for 2012 Prizm Baseball.

His second order of business was sitting down with Stakes for an exclusive interview to discuss, among other things, seeing himself on Prizm’s USA Baseball insert and what he does in his downtime. To honor today’s highly anticipated release of 2012 Prizm Baseball, we present for you now that must-see interview.

It likely goes without saying at this point that tomorrow is a big day on the Panini America baseball diamond. It’s the official release date for 2012 Prizm Baseball, the latest iteration of the company’s popular Prizm technology that has graced the absolutely scorching releases of 2012-13 Prizm Basketball and 2012 Prizm Football.

2012 Prizm Baseball delivers the deeply etched detail that collectors have fallen in love with over the last several months, a whole host of new patterns and those oh-so-mesmerizing Prizm parallels. But since pictures are way more valuable than words in cases such as this one, we figured we’d celebrate this release-date eve with a quick two-box teaser gallery.

In the gallery that follows, we take you pack-by-pack through two randomly selected boxes. For those counting at home, that’s 40 packs of prime Prizm viewing, featuring the stellar USA Baseball insert, a great selection of legendary checklist inclusions and the requisite doses of stars such as Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Mike Trout and so much more. Enjoy, and stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance for additional coverage of the exciting 2012 Prizm Baseball.