Travis Hunter's 2024 Select Cards: Buying the Prospect Before the Jaguars Rookie Wave Hits
The Card That Beat the Rookie Class to Market
Travis Hunter went No. 2 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, but his 2024 Select cards were already out in the world before the Jaguars ever called his name. That's the appeal here — this is a pre-rookie-season snapshot of a player who arrived in the league as one of the most talked-about prospects at wide receiver, and the cardboard hit shelves while he was still finishing out his time at Colorado. If you're the type of collector who likes owning a player's story from the very first chapter, this is where that story starts.
Why Select, Why Now
Panini Select has built its reputation on being the entry point that still feels premium — clean design, tiered parallels, and enough scarcity in the right spots to matter. For a name with Hunter's profile, that structure works in a buyer's favor. The base card is the affordable way in, easy to find and easy to build around, and it's the card most collectors will actually hold in a binder or send in for grading as a first move. It's not the card you flex — it's the card you own.
The parallels are where Select earns its keep. Numbered tiers give you a real chase without pricing out a first-time buyer, and with a player this new to the pro conversation, the lower-numbered parallels are the ones worth hunting hardest. Anything with a tight number attached to it separates itself from the pack fast, especially with a rookie class this loaded and a draft slot this high keeping eyes on him.
The Auto Is the Real Target
If Select has on-card autographs in the mix for Hunter, that's the card collectors should be building toward. Autographed rookie-era cardboard on a No. 2 overall pick is the piece that carries the weight in this release — everything else is complementary. Base and mid-tier parallels are things you accumulate; the on-card auto is the one you chase specifically and hold onto.
First-Time Buyer's Path
Start with the base card to get a feel for the design and confirm you like owning a piece of Hunter's earliest cardboard. From there, move into the numbered parallels as your budget allows — lower numbers first, since that's where the real separation from a crowded rookie class happens. If an on-card autograph surfaces, that's the buy that matters most long-term. This is a two-way prospect who never played a phase of the game like a specialist, and the 2024 Select release is the earliest documented piece of that reputation before the Jaguars jersey ever entered the picture. Buy it now, while it's still cheap history instead of expensive nostalgia.