When Maurice Jones-Drew entered the 2006 NFL Draft out of UCLA, conventional wisdom was that his 5-foot-7, 217-pound frame was too small to withstand the pounding that comes with being an every down back. Fortunately, the Jacksonville Jaguars picked Jones-Drew near the bottom of the second round with a plan to have him spell veteran Fred Taylor and turn him loose on special teams.
Just ask the Indianapolis Colts if that plan has worked. In Week 14, Jones-Drew carried 15 times for 166 yards and two scores and returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown. Displaying the same kind of speed, versatility and elusiveness that he did in college, Jones-Drew served notice that whatever his eventual role will be, he's unquestionably an NFL caliber playmaker.
Collectors wanting a seat on the Jones-Drew bandwagon have plenty of choices. His rookie cards run the gamut from unnumbered base cards to serial-numbered autograph jersey cards and everything in-between, as the table below shows. One quick note: Maurice used only the surname Drew at UCLA, so many of his rookie cards released early in the 2006 football card season list him that way. Some of his later releases carry his full hyphenated last name, so be sure to keep that in mind when searching for his cards online.
Maurice Jones-Drew Rookie Cards
| Set | Number | Other Info |
| Topps Draft Picks & Prospects | # 156 | |
| Topps | # 377 | |
| Chrome | # 247 | |
| Total | # 544 | |
| Finest | # 164 | autographed |
| Bowman | # 154 | |
| Bowman Sterling | # BS-MD | jersey card |
| Heritage | # 183 | |
| Turkey Red | # 225 | |
| Upper Deck Legends | # 174 | #'d to 750 |
| Upper Deck | # 214 | SP |
| SPx | # 203 | auto jersey card |
| Rookie Debut | # 244 | autograph #'d to 300 |
| Ultimate Collection | # 217 | autograph #'d to 150 |
| Sweet Spot | # 228 | autograph #'d to 899 |
| Fleer | # 174 | |
| Ultra | # 247 | |
| Hot Prospects | # 206 | auto jersey card #'d to 999 |
| Donruss Classics | # 120 | #'d to 999 |
| Elite | # 193 | #'d to 599 |
| Leaf Certified Materials | # 207 | jersey card #'d to 1400 |
| Leaf Limited | # 270 | dual jersey card #'d to |
| Leaf Rookies & Stars | # 256 | jersey card #'d to 799 |
| Threads | # 239 | autograph #'d to 100 |
| Absolute Memorabilia | # 257 | jersey card #'d to 849 |
| Prestige | # 224 | SP |
| Score | # 362 | |
| Score Select | # 362 | #'d to 599 |