20 Most Valuable 2021 Donruss Football Cards
Take one look at the 2021 Donruss football card checklist and you’ll immediately notice something special about this set: it is absolutely loaded with some big-name rookie cards…
The road to Canton is long, and time will tell if anyone from this rookie class makes it, but things have started well for some of them.
Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, and Micah Parsons each turned in one of the best rookie campaigns in NFL history at their respective positions during the 2021 season.
And guys like Trevor Lawrence, Najee Harris, and Trevor Lawrence, to name a few, have the potential for plenty of upside over their careers.
A solid rookie class and plenty of great veterans scattered across the base, insert, autograph and relic cards offer plenty for collectors to enjoy about 2021 Donruss football.
And in this guide, we’ll take a look at the 20 most valuable.
Let’s jump right in!
2021 Donruss Football Set Snapshot
SET DETAILS
350
GRADING ANALYSIS
0
TOTAL GRADED BY PSA
0
PSA 10 Population
0.0%
PSA 10 Grade Rate
MOST GRADED CARDS
1
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Ross Uitts – Owner
- #1
2021 Donruss #251 Trevor Lawrence Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 10 Value $50Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)You gotta hand it to Trevor Lawrence.
It’s difficult to go from collegiate signal caller to NFL starting quarterback in year one.
It’s even more challenging as a #1 pick tasked with turning around a moribund franchise.
Add the utter confusion of the Urban Meyer debacle in Jacksonville, and the poise Lawrence showed during the 2021 NFL season is downright impressive.
That’s not to say that Lawrence was particularly productive in 2021 or even good.
Over the season’s final ten weeks, the former Clemson signal-caller threw just four touchdowns.
Two of those came in a single contest, a stirring Week 18 upset of the Indianapolis Colts.
Over the same span, Lawrence turned the ball over ten times (8 INTs, 2 fumbles lost).
The 2021 Heisman Trophy runner-up finished the year with a dismal 3-14 record as a starter, completing 59.6% of his passes for 3,641 yards, 12 touchdowns, and an NFL-worst 17 interceptions.
- #2
2021 Donruss #251 Trevor Lawrence Rated Rookie Portrait
PSA 10 Value $50Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)However, Lawrence’s upside showed itself under the numbers.
Lawrence kept balling as Meyer’s tenure became a national punchline and his potential firing loomed as a week-to-week distraction.
He never wavered, never seemed to hesitate, and always kept pushing forward.
After Meyer was replaced following a Week 14 loss at Tennessee, Lawrence kept his cool.
He also showed potential as a dual threat, rushing 73 times for 334 yards and two scores.
Yes, Lawrence needs to work on becoming a quicker decision-maker.
Yes, he’ll need to improve at making reads and not playing hero ball against tight coverage.
However, he showed grit in 2021 and unwavering confidence against seemingly insurmountable on-field (and off-field) odds.
- #3
2021 Donruss #254 Trey Lance Rated Rookie Portrait
PSA 10 Value $45Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)What made the QB situation in San Francisco so weird was how good the 49ers were with their incumbent starting quarterback in place.
Garoppolo led San Francisco to a 10-7 record, a playoff berth, and within an eyelash of a Super Bowl appearance.
The Niners took the eventual champion Los Angeles Rams to the limit with Garoppolo leading the charge, ultimately falling 20-17 in the NFC title game.
So, it was interesting to see the Niners back away from Garoppolo in the offseason, dangle him on the trade market, and go with an unproven commodity under center heading into the 2022 regular season.
Yet, the biggest question mark of 2021 has now become the biggest question mark of 2022.
During the first quarter of the San Francisco 49ers’ Week 2 game against the Seattle Seahawks, Lance suffered a broken ankle that ended his 2022 season.
How will Garoppolo respond the rest of the season and will the 49ers go with Lance under center in 2023?
Only time will tell.
- #4
2021 Donruss #262 Ja’Marr Chase Rated Rookie Portrait
PSA 10 Value $45Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)Chase set NFL rookie records for most receiving yards in a game (266), regular season (1,455), and postseason (368).
The first-year phenom posted a combined 14 receiving touchdowns in the regular season (13) and playoffs (1), conjuring pure aerial magic with former LSU teammate Joe Burrow.
The NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, a second-team All-Pro, and a first-time Pro Bowler, Chase blew the doors off the league and helped vault the 10-7 AFC Central champs to their first Super Bowl appearance in 33 years.
In the end, the Los Angeles Rams shut the door on Cincinnati’s storybook season with a thrilling, come-from-behind 23-20 win in Super Bowl LVI.
Chase caught five passes for 89 yards on the day, but it wasn’t enough to hold off a stacked, determined Rams squad.
- #5
2021 Donruss #262 Ja’Marr Chase Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 10 Value $45Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)The best season by a rookie wide receiver in NFL history started with a thud.
Several of them, to be exact.
During the 2021 NFL preseason, Cincinnati Bengals wideout Ja’Marr Chase was the subject of intense scrutiny.
Chase struggled with drops in practice and exhibition play, including botching all three of his targets against the Washington Football Team.
Those who expressed concerns about Chase’s hands coming out of LSU as the #5 pick of the 2021 NFL Draft seemed validated.
And then, the regular season started.
After working with the Bengals staff on trusting his hand/eye coordination and athletic gifts, Chase was an MVP-caliber game-changer from start to finish in ’21.
- #6
2021 Donruss #331 Micah Parsons Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 10 Value $40Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)While Ja’Marr Chase captured headlines with a historic rookie year on the offensive side of the ball, first-year Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons did the same on defense.
A unanimous selection for 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Parsons finished tied for second on the all-time rookie list with 20 tackles for a loss in his debut campaign.
An edge rusher with hybrid capabilities to play nearly anywhere in the front seven, Parsons put on a pass-rushing showcase for the ages, creating pressure on over 20% of his pass-rush snaps.
Compared to other rookie pass rushers from the past decade or so, that’s far and away the best pressure percentage of the bunch.
Altogether, Parsons finished the 2021 season with 84 tackles, 13 sacks, 30 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, and three passes defended.
Finishing second in the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year race to Pittsburgh’s TJ Watt, the first-time Pro Bowler and First-Team All-Pro was the engine for a Dallas defense that finished seventh in the league in points allowed.
However, the 12-5 NFC East champs drew dead in the NFC Wild Card round, losing to a sizzling-hot San Francisco 49ers squad, 23-17.
Parsons recorded nine tackles and one tackle for a loss in the defeat.
An abrupt playoff departure notwithstanding, Parsons’ 2021 season is on the shortlist of the best defensive debuts in NFL history.
- #7
2021 Donruss #255 Mac Jones Rated Rookie Portrait
PSA 10 Value $40Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)The intriguing thing about the former Alabama QB’s first year is that he was able to find success at all levels of the passing game.
While Jones was best in short and medium-range passing situations, his 19 big-time throws on deep throws (per PFF) were the best of any rookie signal caller.
Jones isn’t a particularly mobile quarterback.
And his lack of top-tier arm strength (and struggles against pressure) were highlighted in New England’s 47-17 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card round.
An ankle injury early in the 2022 season has limited his play but regardless, it’s clear that Jones is perfectly suited for the Pats’ offense going forward.
- #8
2021 Donruss #1 Tom Brady No Helmet Variation
PSA 10 Value $35Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)Before a wild offseason that saw him retire and unretire within two months, Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady once again defied logic in 2021.
Most other quarterbacks, Hall-of-Fame caliber or not, would be several years into their post-career plans at the tender age of 44.
Not Tom Brady.
His age-44 season was a marvel of conditioning, performance, and a disregard for Father Time.
Brady led the league in completions (485), passing attempts (719), passing yards (5,316), passing yards per game (312.7), and passing touchdowns (43).
Finishing as the runner-up to Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers in the NFL MVP race, the ageless wonder also finished third in the NFL Offensive Player of the Year vote and earned his 15th Pro Bowl selection along with Second-Team All-Pro honors.
With Brady doing things that no other QB has ever done before, the defending Super Bowl champs cruised to a 13-4 record and earned their first NFC South crown since 2007.
In the postseason, Brady completed 64.8% of his passes for 600 yards, three touchdowns, and a costly NFC Divisional Game pick in two starts.
That interception came in an instant-classic 30-27 loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, a contest that left a bitter taste in Brady’s mouth and likely was a key factor in bringing him back for an age-45 go-around in 2022.
- #9
2021 Donruss #263 Jaylen Waddle Rated Rookie Portrait
PSA 10 Value $30Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)In the middle of all this chaos, Waddle was the steadiest pair of hands Miami had.
He set a rookie record with 104 receptions, besting Anquan Boldin’s electric debut in 2003 by three.
The sixth overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, Waddle finished with over 1,000 receiving yards (1,015), six TD receptions, and a rushing score.
While Waddle is unlikely to see anything near 140 targets again in ’22 with Tyreek Hill lining up on the opposite side, his breakthrough first year shows he can shoulder the load when needed.
- #10
2021 Donruss #255 Mac Jones Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 10 Value $25Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)The runner-up to Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase on the AP’s Offensive Rookie-of-the-Year ballot, New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was the right guy for the right job in 2021.
Jones was set up for success at Gillette as a lightning-quick decision-maker with the capability to make quality split-second reads.
The Patriots loaded up on tight ends in free agency, allowing their first-year QB to throw short and find the open guy more often than not.
Jones started all 17 regular-season games for New England in 2021, posting a 92.5 passer rating and a 67.6% completion rate.
He finished 10-7 as a starter to lead the Pats to a Wild Card berth, throwing for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.
- #11
2021 Donruss #261 Devonta Smith Rated Rookie Portrait
PSA 10 Value $25Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)Philadelphia ran the ball on 52.7% of its plays in ’21 and ran even more during their playoff push.
Starting QB Jalen Hurts often felt like a rush-first, pass-second threat when the Eagles’ offense was at its beSt. So, that makes Smith’s flirtation with a 1,000-yard receiving season even more impressive.
With five TD receptions and highlight catches all over the field, the 23-year-old wideout punished opposing defenses for stacking the box against the run.
The Eagles’ playoff stay was cut short with a 31-15 Wild Card round loss to the Tampa Bay Bucs, a game in which Smith caught four passes for 60 yards.
However, the future looks promising.
With new #1 wideout AJ Brown in tow, Smith could shine even brighter in 2022 against more favorable coverage match-ups.
- #12
2021 Donruss #259 Najee Harris Rated Rookie Portrait
PSA 10 Value $20Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)What’s even more impressive is that Harris didn’t fumble a single time during the regular season, setting an NFL record for most touches by a rookie without one.
With Harris managing a historic first-year offensive load so well, the Steelers were able to eek into the playoffs as a #7 seed at 9-7-1.
However, Harris suffered an arm injury in the team’s regular-season finale.
That injury proved pivotal in the team’s 42-21 blowout loss to Kansas City in the AFC Wild Card round.
Harris carried the ball 12 times against KC for just 29 yards and caught two passes for -1 yards.
He just looked off and even fumbled for the first time all year, a deflating end to a fantastic debut season.
- #13
2021 Donruss #252 Zach Wilson Rated Rookie Portrait
PSA 10 Value $20Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)After turning the ball over and over in his first six NFL starts, the former BYU star tightened it up in the season’s final seven games.
He tossed five touchdowns, ran for four more, and committed just three turnovers (two INTs, one fumble lost).
It was a hopeful end to a headache-filled rookie year for the Jets’ new quarterback.
While his overall passing numbers from ’21 may not bear it out (55.6% completion rate, 2,334 yards, nine TDs, 11 INTs), there’s reason for optimism in Wilson’s sophomore campaign in Jersey.
- #14
2021 Donruss #253 Justin Fields Rated Rookie Portrait
PSA 10 Value $20Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)In 12 games under center (10 starts), Wilson completed 58.9% of his passes for 1,870 yards, seven touchdowns, and ten interceptions.
He went 2-8 as a starter.
While nothing from his above stat line jumps out as exemplary, there’s plenty to like about what Fields did in a no-win first-year situation.
Advanced metrics single him out as the best deep-ball threat of the rookie class in 2021, and his 420 rushing yards were the best of any first-year quarterback.
Now with Nagy gone and new head coach Matt Eberflus at the helm, we’ll see what Fields is all about in year two.
- #15
2021 Donruss #261 DeVonta Smith Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 10 Value $20Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)The Philadelphia Eagles arrived ahead of schedule in 2021, winning six of their last eight after a 3-6 start to squeak into the playoffs as the NFC’s seventh seed.
In head coach Nick Sirianni’s first year running the show, the Eagles’ young talent took center stage.
One of those breakout performers was first-year wide receiver DeVonta Smith, a rookie sensation with veteran route instincts, inside/outside flexibility, and a football IQ beyond his age.
The tenth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Alabama, Smith set a rookie franchise record with 916 receiving yards (on 64 receptions).
And he did so, crazily enough, as part of the most run-dominant offense in the NFL.
- #16
2021 Donruss #263 Jaylen Waddle Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 10 Value $20Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)In a frustrating up-and-down year in South Beach, the emergence of rookie wideout Jaylen Waddle was a welcome week-to-week constant.
2021 was supposed to be the moment that second-year starting QB Tua Tagovailoa got it.
It was supposed to be the moment when the Miami Dolphins doubled down on the momentum of a 10-win 2020 season and joined the playoff party for just the second time since 2008 (2016).
Instead, Tagovailoa battled injuries and mistakes in the clutch.
The Dolphins nosedived early in the year, losing seven in a row after a Week 1 win at New England.
A subsequent seven-game winning streak wasn’t enough to undo the damage done.
Miami fell just short of the postseason again at 9-8.
- #17
2021 Donruss #252 Zach Wilson Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 10 Value $15Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)If you only listened to secondhand accounts of rookie QB Zach Wilson’s first year under center with the New York Jets, you’d think he was a hopeless case.
To be fair, Wilson was in over his head early in 2021 and struggled to maintain confidence as New York sputtered out of the gate.
As injuries to the team’s skill-position core stacked up, Wilson made poor in-pocket decisions, struggled with accuracy on short passes, and looked lost at critical junctures.
The #2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft seemed rattled.
And then, a knee injury sidelined Wilson for the better part of a month.
When he returned, it was like he was a different QB.
- #18
2021 Donruss #253 Justin Fields Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 10 Value $15Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)If there’s one rookie quarterback who deserves a grade of “incomplete” for his 2021 NFL season, it’s the Chicago Bears’ Justin Fields.
Fields wasn’t given a fair shot during the ’21 campaign to maximize his considerable talents.
Under lame-duck head coach Matt Nagy, the former Ohio State QB was tied to an offensive scheme not built with him in mind.
As rumors of Nagy’s impending firing dominated the headlines in Chicago, Fields shuffled in and out of the starting QB role.
He also battled ankle and rib injuries that kept him out of five games.
- #19
2021 Donruss #254 Trey Lance Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 10 Value $15Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)When the San Francisco 49ers used the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to select North Dakota St. quarterback Trey Lance, we knew Jimmy Garoppolo’s days by the Bay were numbered.
However, what we got in 2021 was an awkward transitional year that left many pundits and Niners fans scratching their heads.
Rather than pushing all-in with Lance in year one, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and the team brass kept Garoppolo installed as the starter, playing the long game with Lance’s development.
The first-year QB played in just six games for the Niners in 2022, starting two.
In limited snaps, Lance’s talent and athleticism provided tantalizing glimpses of things to come.
Possessing elite arm strength from a variety of angles and sets, fearlessness in the pocket (and on the run), and the ability to take a hit and deliver one right back, Lance looked every bit the part of a #3 pick.
Overall, the rookie QB went 41-of-71 in the air (57.7%) for 603 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions.
He also posted 38 rushing attempts for 168 yards and a score.
- #20
2021 Donruss #259 Najee Harris Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 10 Value $15Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)The first running back taken in the 2021 NFL Draft (24th overall), Alabama star Najee Harris was tabbed by the Pittsburgh Steelers’ front office as a first-round fix for their run-game woes.
And he delivered.
Behind a patched-together offensive line with four new starters (and two rookies), Harris used his powerful, fearless running style and great hands to wear down opposing defenses from quarter to quarter.
Pittsburgh leaned on Harris to move the chains when the Steelers’ passing offense stalled out (and it did so a lot in 2022).
Overall, Harris finished the year with 1,667 yards from scrimmage (1,200 rushing, 467 receiving), ten touchdowns (seven receiving, three rushing), and an NFL-best 381 touches.
Ross’s Take
The 2021 Donruss football base set includes 400 cards, with 250 showcasing both active and retired veterans.
However, most of the value lies within the “Rated Rookies” that span across cards #251 – 350.
Within that group, you’ll find plenty of big-name rookies with plenty of potential, including Trevor Lawrence, Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, Micah Parson and many more.
Given their potential upside, those rookies are where most collectors look to find the biggest upside in long-term value.
However, outside of the base cards, there are tons of inserts, parallels, autographs and memorabilia cards that can be worth even bigger money.
And the autograph and memorabilia cards aren’t limited to strictly current players so chasing an auto or piece of history from one of your favorite former players keeps things very interesting as a collector.
A few examples of some of the many inserts, autographed cards, and relics include: Downtown!
Elite Series Rated Rookie Autos (Blue, Bronze, Green, Orange) Dominators Autos All-Pro Kings Studio Series Aside from being beautifully designed, some of these cards can easily sell for thousands of dollars…
It all comes down to just how rare it is to pull one of them, as some can be numbered from hundreds of examples all the way to just 1 example.
As you can imagine, most collectors will be on the hunt for the rarer autographed and relic cards of the big-name rookies in the set as those have the most potential upside in value over the long term.
There are just so many different things to look for in this set that it can almost be overwhelming.
Overall, there are some great-looking cards in 2021 Donruss football that are well worth the hunt.
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Ross Uitts – Owner
