New England Patriots running back Laurence Maroney is used to not being the center of attention, but it might not stay that way for long. His blend of power and speed is making him an increasingly important part of the Patriots' offense, and soon collectors won't be able to help taking notice.
Maroney never handled a full load during his college days at Minnesota, splitting carries with fellow NFL draftee Marion Barber and others. Nevertheless, he rushed for almost 4000 yards and became the second running back taken in the 2006 draft when the Patriots took him 21st overall.
As a rookie, Maroney found himself in a familiar situation as part of a running back committee with Corey Dillon and Kevin Faulk. He still piled up 745 rushing yards and six touchdowns, then battled through injuries in 2007 to reach 835 yards in 13 games.
After topping 100 yards in two of the final three games of New England's perfect 2007 regular season, Maroney really turned it on during the playoffs. He ran for 122 yards against both Jacksonville and San Diego, proving to be the perfect complement to the Tom Brady-led aerial attack.
The future looks bright for Maroney, as only the injury bug seems capable of stopping him from assuming true feature back status and putting up even bigger numbers. That should mean good things for his 30-plus 2006 rookie cards, which hold solid but not spectacular values. Included on the list are some fairly scarce autographed cards, like his Donruss Threads # 246 numbered to 140 and his Upper Deck Rookie Debut # 236, which has an announced print run of just 50 copies.
Laurence Maroney 2006 Rookie Cards
- Absolute Memorabilia # 252 - jersey card #'d to 849
- Bowman # 126
- Bowman Chrome # 270
- Bowman Sterling # LM - jersey card
- Donruss Classics # 116 - #'d to 599
- Donruss Elite # 180 - #'d to 599
- Donruss Gridiron Gear # 230 - jersey card with announced print run of 50 copies
- Donruss Threads # 246 - autographed, #'d to 140
- Exquisite Collection # 121 - autographed jersey card #'d to 225
- Flair Showcase # 231 - #'d to 199
- Fleer # 160
- Hot Prospects # 195 - autographed, #'d to 175
- Leaf Certified Materials # 202 - jersey card #'d to 550
- Leaf Limited # 259 - autographed jersey card
- Leaf Rookies and Stars # 274 - autographed jersey card #'d to 99
- Playoff Contenders # 119 - autographed
- Playoff National Treasures # 108 - autographed jersey card #'d to 99
- Playoff NFL Playoffs # 77
- Playoff Prestige # 213
- Score # 354
- Select # 354 - #'d to 599
- SP Authentic # 240 - autographed jersey card #'d to 999
- SPx # 190 - autographed jersey card #'d to 399
- Sweet Spot # 212 - autographed, #'d to 499
- Topps # 373
- Topps Chrome # 227
- Topps Draft Picks and Prospects # 119
- Topps Heritage # 250
- Topps Total # 503
- Topps Triple Threads # 113 - autographed jersey card #'d to 99
- Topps Turkey Red # 193 - SP
- Ultimate Collection # 205 - autographed, #'d to 150
- Ultra # 211 - #'d to 500
- Upper Deck # 212
- Upper Deck Legends # 161 - #'d to 750
- Upper Deck Rookie Debut # 236 - autographed with announced print run of 50 copies