Tag Archives: panini contenders 2016

NFL

Joseph, Karl

Card: Panini Contenders 2016
Acquired: 2016, Box Breaker

Karl Joseph was counted on from day one by the West Virginia Mountaineers to anchor their secondary.  In his Freshman year of 2012, he put up 104 tackles, and generally was counted on to be an enforcer for much of his first 3 years playing for WVU.  During his Senior year he led the NCAA in interceptions (5) before a knee injury ended his season prematurely.

With the 14th pick overall in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Raiders selected Joseph to help address the depth on the backend of their defense. He made 10 starts in his rookie season, recording an interception, 6 passes defensed, 51 tackles, and a fumble recovery.

2018 was a tumultuous season for the Raiders with many key pieces of the team being traded to other teams. Karl was no exception, but after turning in a decent 2017 from free safety with 79 combined tackles and an interception, he turned it up a notch in 2018 and really started playing his best ball during December. While the jury is still out on if he’s on the outs after the season concludes, no one can say Joseph didn’t show up in the end.

This is a stunning card. I love the color combination and the photo composition. His name is in a reflective foil, barely able to be made out of the scan, but overall, this is a great set.

NFL

Malleck, Ryan

Card: Panini Contenders 2016
Acquired: 2016, Box Breaker

Ryan Malleck played for Virginia Tech from 2012-2015. He saw action in 33 games, recording 62 receptions for 658 yards and 4 touchdowns. Scouts felt he had the size to work the field as a tight end at the pro level but felt his blocking needed some polish. He went unselected in the 2016 NFL Draft. Since that time Malleck has stayed busy, logging time on the Giants, Steelers, Ravens, and later in 2017- the Houston Texans. He made his first professional catch while with Houston for 3 yards. Ryan resigned with the Steelers in 2018, but was waived and placed on IR for the 2018 season after an undisclosed injury.

NFL

Campbell, De’Vondre

Card: Panini Contenders 2016
Acquired: 2016, Box Breaker

De’Vondre Campbell played collegiality at Minnesota, where he put up some solid numbers. Over his 3 years for the Golden Gophers, De’Vondre had 206 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, and 2 picks for 27 yards- one of which he returned for a touchdown. Campbell showed enough promise that he was selected in the 4th round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.

He started 10 games his rookie year, and had 35 tackles (13 assists), 7 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble, and an interception. A solid starter for the Falcons in 2017, Campbell finished with 92 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 4 pass deflections while playing at linebacker.