When the 2006 NFL Draft arrived, various scouts and draft experts had just spent months nitpicking Vince Young. Despite his heroics on the college gridiron, there was a feeling that he wouldn't be the first quarterback taken and he might fall out of the top 10 picks. But the Tennessee Titans took a chance on Young with the third pick, and so far it's paid off handsomely.
Maybe everyone should have trusted in what they saw while Young was at Texas. As the leader of the Longhorns, he was the Rose Bowl MVP against Michigan in 2005 and again in 2006, when he passed and ran his team past heavily favored USC. Young finished second to Reggie Bush in the 2005 Heisman voting after throwing for more than 3,000 yards and rushing for over 1,000 more.
The Titans left little doubt that Young was going to be the face of the franchise when they cut ties with veterans Steve McNair and Billy Volek before the 2006 season. He ended up starting 13 games, becoming the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to lead two fourth-quarter comebacks from deficits of 14 points or more and very nearly willing the young Titans into the playoffs.
While Young's passing game remains a work in progress, he's been able to scramble and run just as successfully as he did in college. He broke the rookie record for quarterbacks with 552 yards rushing, which included seven touchdowns and six runs of 20-plus yards. Young's exciting dual-threat style has made him a fan favorite and earned him a spot on the cover of the popular Madden 2008 video game.
It's also made him popular with football card collectors. Young has over 35 rookie cards in 2006 football sets, and their values are second only to Bush in almost every case. Anyone looking for his autograph has plenty of choices, as his Donruss Threads # 255 and his Upper Deck Rookie Debut # 259 are just a couple of his 15 signed first-year cards.
Vince Young 2006 Rookie Cards
- Absolute Memorabilia # 258 - jersey card #'d to 849
- Bowman # 113
- Bowman Chrome # 221
- Bowman Sterling # VY1 - jersey card
- Donruss Classics # 106 - #'d to 599
- Donruss Elite # 221 - #'d to 599
- Donruss Gridiron Gear # 224 - jersey card with announced print run of 50 copies
- Donruss Threads # 255 - autographed card #'d to 100
- Exquisite Collection # 108 - autographed jersey card #'d to 99
- Finest # 153 - autographed card #'d to 199
- Flair Showcase # 235 - #'d to 199
- Fleer # 197
- Hot Prospects # 192 - autographed card #'d to 175
- Leaf Certified Materials # 208 - jersey card #'d to 550
- Leaf Limited # 253 - autographed jersey card #'d to 100
- Leaf Rookies and Stars # 271 - autographed jersey card #'d to 249
- Playoff Contenders # 105 - autographed card with announced print run of 487 copies
- Playoff National Treasures # 115 - autographed jersey card #'d to 99
- Playoff NFL Playoffs # 73
- Playoff Prestige # 246
- Score # 340
- Select # 340 - #'d to 599
- SP Authentic # 258 - autographed jersey card #'d to 270
- SPx # 183 - autographed jersey card #'d to 399
- Sweet Spot # 207 - autographed card #'d to 199
- Topps # 353
- Topps Chrome # 223
- Topps Draft Picks and Prospects # 170 - autographed card #'d to 199
- Topps Heritage # 320 - SP
- Topps Total # 461
- Topps Triple Threads # 101 - autographed jersey card #'d to 99
- Topps Turkey Red # 183A
- Ultimate Collection # 209 - autographed card #'d to 99
- Ultra # 202 - #'d to 500
- Upper Deck # 225
- Upper Deck Legends # 196 - #'d to 750
- Upper Deck Rookie Debut # 259 - autographed card with announced print run of 25 copies
