It's well known to NFL fans that Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis loves speed and the big play. The followers of the Silver and Black have found those qualities in short supply in the first part of the 21st Century, but the arrival of Darren McFadden may bring an end to that drought.
McFadden dazzled college fans early on in his career at Arkansas. In 2006, he became the first sophomore to win the Doak Walker Award after racking up 1,647 yards on the ground. He also finished second in voting for the Heisman Trophy.
He would repeat that feat as a junior in 2007, putting his skills as a rusher, receiver and passer on full display. McFadden punctuated his second runner-up finish by leading the Razorbacks to a 50-48 upset of the No. 1 team in the nation in a triple-OT thriller at LSU. His stats in that game included 206 rushing yards, three TDs on the ground and a touchdown pass as he took a number of snaps from center in Arkansas' "WildHog" formation.
Not surprisingly, McFadden's versatility and gamebreaking ability made him a hot commodity when he entered the 2008 NFL Draft, and the Raiders jumped on him with the fourth overall pick. Joining 2007 No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell, he has the potential to help solve Oakland's long search for offensive firepower.
Along with the Raiders' large and loyal following, McFadden's rookie cards stand to benefit from expectations that he'll have a similar impact as the top back from the 2007 draft, Adrian Peterson. Though that may be slightly wishful thinking, it's not hard to envision McFadden finding some measure of success in his rookie campaign and staying high on want lists everywhere all season long.
2008 Darren McFadden Rookie Card Checklist
- Absolute Memorabilia # 264 - autographed jersey card #'d to 299
- Bowman # 180
- Bowman Chrome # BC71
- Bowman Sterling # 151A - jersey card #'d to 569
- Donruss Classics # 174 - #'d to 999
- Donruss Elite # 116 - autographed, #'d to 199
- Donruss Gridiron Gear # 205 - autographed jersey card #'d to 100
- Donruss Threads # 266 - autographed, #'d to 100
- Finest # 118 - #'d to 699
- Leaf Certified Materials # 209 - jersey card #'d to 599
- Leaf Limited # 305 - jersey card #'d to 99
- Leaf Rookies and Stars # 211 - autographed, #'d to 99
- Leaf Rookies and Stars Longevity # 211 - autographed, #'d to 10
- Playoff Prestige # 124
- Score # 334
- Select # 334 - #'d to 999
- SP Rookie Edition # 115
- SP Rookie Threads # DM1 - autographed w/ total print run of 152
- SPx # 182 - autographed jersey card #'d to 325
- Stadium Club # 111 - #'d to 1799
- Topps # 346
- Topps Chrome # TC181
- Topps Kickoff # 178
- Topps Letterman # 62 - #'d to 419
- Topps Rookie Progression # 169
- UD Masterpieces # 106 - SP
- Upper Deck Draft Edition # 22
- Upper Deck First Edition # 208
- Upper Deck Heroes # 131
- Upper Deck Heroes # 132
- Upper Deck Icons # 122 - #'d to 750
- Upper Deck Premier # 108 - autographed jersey card #'d to 199