2026 NFL rookie card prices: what Mendoza, Tate, Love and seven more sell for

Here's what the cards of 10 top 2026 NFL rookies sell for right now. Fernando Mendoza leads the class without a start, with his Bowman Chrome Refractor /499 selling for $27 to $132 this past month, while most of the class's Topps base rookies sell for about a dollar.

Fernando Mendoza

Even though Fernando Mendoza hasn't started a single game this year, he's still the hottest market among NFL rookies. That says something, because he is coming off a Heisman Trophy-winning season in which he also won the National Championship with Indiana University and led the team to an undefeated record. However, for the Las Vegas Raiders, their owner Mark Davis said in a CNBC interview, “From me, there’s absolutely no pressure whatsoever.” Davis added that he’s “really happy with the way it is with Fernando right now.” Veteran journeyman Kirk Cousins has been the team’s quarterback this year. With a 4-4 record, I believe now is the time to give Mendoza his starting job. He was selected first overall in the NFL Draft for a reason. He can lead his team to success if the Raiders have a goal of making the NFL playoffs. So far this season, he has played in only one game, completing six passes on eight attempts for 48 total passing yards.

His Bowman Chrome base card sells for about $3, while his Bowman Chrome Refractor /499 has sold for $27 to $132 this past month. On the Topps Flagship side of things, his base sells for under $2, while raw copies of his Topps Gold border /2026 have sold for $38 to $73 this past month. If and when he gets the starting job, I can see the price of those cards going up significantly.

Carnell Tate

Selected fourth overall by the Tennessee Titans, the former Ohio State Buckeye has performed pretty well. He has 34 receptions for 413 yards and 1 touchdown. He has only missed one game due to injury. He has quickly become the favorite target of his quarterback Cam Ward. That could be very good for his card market as he gets opportunities for big time impact on the field.

His Bowman Chrome base card is only a buck, while his Bowman Chrome Refractor /499 can be bought for less than $10. Although he is a wide receiver, that could be a good buy, because as he gets more touches, his card market will follow. Meanwhile, his Topps base rookie card sells for about a dollar. His Topps Gold border can be bought for only about $4 on average, making it a very affordable buy as wide receivers, or any non-quarterbacks, don’t get the hobby love so many of them deserve, especially rookies.

Jeremiyah Love

Running Back Jeremiyah Love had a very successful college career at Notre Dame. Because of that, the Arizona Cardinals selected him third overall. Unfortunately, Love has also battled injuries, just like Tate.

Love, however, was placed on the Cardinals’ Injured Reserve (IR) list. IR carries a few different rules. For one, placing a player on the IR frees up a roster spot; for another, the player on the IR must miss a minimum of 4 games. Since Love’s injury is only a high-ankle sprain, he will most likely miss closer to the 4-game minimum, rather than much more.

In his six games, Love has 76 rush attempts for 268 yards and one touchdown. As a result, his cards are selling for decent amounts, especially numbered cards. His Bowman Chrome base card is only a buck, while his Bowman Chrome Refractor /499 is $15. His Topps Flagship base sells for about a dollar, while his Topps Gold Border /2026 goes for about $6. His prices could be lower for one of many reasons, including the cost of living across the nation being higher and less money for collectors to spend on cards, but it is most likely his injury.

KC Concepcion

The 24th overall pick in this past year’s NFL Draft has played fairly well. KC Concepcion has played in all eight of the Cleveland Browns' games so far. He has 33 receptions for 352 yards so far with zero touchdowns.

He has time to improve and build his numbers, but I think it is disappointing to have no touchdowns at this point in the season.

The four key cards we are tracking in this article average less than $6. His Bowman Chrome base card is only about a dollar, while the Refractor version /499 has sold for $4 to under $6 this past month. His Topps Flagship base, similar to his Bowman Chrome base, is about a dollar, while his Topps Gold /2026 is at about $2.

Denzel Boston

Denzel Boston is faring pretty well not only in the league because of his play, but also in the card market. Having played competitive college ball at the University of Washington, he was selected in the second round of the NFL Draft this year. He has 26 receptions for 409 yards and three touchdowns. I believe he is one of the league's best rookie receivers. His card market reflects that. His 2026 Bowman Chrome rookie card has been selling for a respectable $2, while his Bowman Chrome Refractor /499 is at about $4. Like most of the others mentioned in this article, his Topps Flagship rookie is at about a dollar. His Topps Gold /2026 has a wide range of sales between $2 and $6, showing he has the talent and making his numbered cards among the more desirable NFL rookie cards this year.

Omar Cooper Jr.

After winning the National Championship at Indiana University, wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. was selected 30th overall by the New York Jets. He already spent time on Injured Reserve this season after spraining his ankle in Week 1, when he had one reception for 30 yards. Cooper has played well so far in his four games this season. He has 12 receptions for 248 yards and two touchdowns.

With the Jets holding a 2-6 record, I can't help but think about the impact he could have had in the games he missed and how the team’s record might have changed. If his card market is any indication of his potential, I would say he is doing well. His 2026 Bowman Chrome rookie base card sells anywhere from $1 to $2, while the Refractor /499 sells for slightly more at $3. His Topps Flagship rookie card is currently at about a dollar, while his Topps Gold /2026 is at about $2.

Ty Simpson

Los Angeles Rams backup rookie quarterback Ty Simpson has not played a snap of regular-season football this year. That may be affecting his market. His status as the former quarterback for the University of Alabama could be holding his market up, because it is pretty high, even though some of the value has dropped.

His 2026 Bowman Chrome base rookie card is valued at about a dollar, while his Bowman Chrome Refractor /499 has sold for $7 to about $22 this past month, making it the second or third most valuable Refractor on this list, depending on how you view it, in front of, or behind Jeremiyah Love’s. His Topps Flagship sells for about a dollar, while his Topps Gold /2026 is selling for $11.

The connection to Alabama's storied football program may be keeping his cards highly valued right now, but only time will tell where it goes from here.

Carson Beck

Like Ty Simpson, Carson Beck has also not played a snap in the NFL regular season this year. Drafted in the third round by the Arizona Cardinals this past NFL Draft, he started his college career at the University of Georgia, where he was the backup on the 2021 and 2022 National Championship teams. He then transferred to the University of Miami, where he led the Hurricanes to the National Championship game this past season but lost to Indiana.

Beck isn't getting much hobby love right now, likely because of his limited playing time, but when he does play and perform well, we can see his market rise. His 2026 Bowman Chrome base rookie card currently sells for about a dollar, while the Refractor /499 goes for about $4. His Topps Flagship sells for about a dollar, while his Topps Gold /2026 has a wide range, selling anywhere from $2 to $8 this past month. I believe that range reflects the hype he had in college.

Rueben Bain Jr.

One of two defensive players on this list, Rueben Bain Jr. was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 15th overall out of the University of Miami. He has played in six games this season at outside linebacker. He has 1 sack, 2 solo tackles and 6 assisted tackles this season.

Defensive players’ cards are usually lower than offensive players'. For the most part, that is the case for Bain. His Bowman Chrome base card sells for about a dollar, while his Refractor /499 ranges from $1 to about $5. His Topps Flagship, as expected, is also about a dollar. His Topps Gold /2026 sold for $3 to about $13 in early September, then for about a dollar on Oct. 7. I think it's likely his cards will rise.

Caleb Downs

Lastly, we got Dallas Cowboys Defensive Back Caleb Downs. Downs played college football for both the University of Alabama and Ohio State. He is a National Champion with the Buckeyes. Drafted 11th overall, he has played in eight games for Dallas this year, recording 52 tackles, one sack and one pass deflection. His on-field impact is affecting his card market significantly. While his Bowman Chrome base rookie is only about a dollar, his Refractor /499 has sold for $3 to $13 this past month, fifth among the 10 Refractors on this list. His Topps Flagship base is one of the cheaper ones mentioned at under a dollar, while his Topps Gold /2026 had a huge range of $3 to $30 from late August to Sept. 27, its last raw sale.

His prices are high not only because of his performance, but also because the Dallas Cowboys are one of the most popular NFL teams. The team’s popularity, along with the rookie hype, could be driving his cards' value.

What I think of all of this

While some of these players have not played in many games yet, or for some, none at all, their college hype is what is driving the prices. I also think collectors are still adjusting to Topps parallels compared to Panini’s parallels. That can be impacting the pricing. It is something to keep an eye on, since this is the first full year back of Topps having control of the card license for the NFL.

2026 NFL rookie card prices at a glance

• Fernando Mendoza: Bowman Chrome Refractor /499 $27 to $132, Topps Gold /2026 $38 to $73
• Ty Simpson: Refractor /499 $7 to about $22, Gold /2026 $11
• Jeremiyah Love: Refractor /499 $15, Gold /2026 about $6
• Carnell Tate: Refractor /499 under $10, Gold /2026 about $4
• Caleb Downs: Refractor /499 $3 to $13, Gold /2026 last sold for $11 on Sept. 27
• Carson Beck: Refractor /499 about $4, Gold /2026 $2 to $8
• KC Concepcion: Refractor /499 $4 to under $6, Gold /2026 about $2
• Denzel Boston: Refractor /499 about $4, Gold /2026 $2 to $6
• Rueben Bain Jr.: Refractor /499 $1 to about $5, Gold /2026 about a dollar on Oct. 7
• Omar Cooper Jr.: Refractor /499 $3, Gold /2026 about $2