2012 Topps Inception Mohamed Sanu Autograph RC #114

The 2012 NFL season hasn't even started yet, but we've seen a couple of different releases from Topps already to wet our appetite for the new rookies. Obviously my favorite rookie right now to collect is Mohamed Sanu - 3rd round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals ... and he's had a couple of nice cards released already.

His most recent release came out in the last day or so - that is his 2012 Topps Inception autograph RC. These cards almost look identical to the 2011 version, so Topps really didn't sway too far from tradition on these ones. Savvy Bengals fans might notice that Sanu is 'wearing' the wrong jersey number ... as the Bengals website has him suited up in #12.

I'm currently looking to collect this card - so if you have an extra one you want to sell or trade, I'll see what I can do. If not, I'll probably wait a couple of weeks and buy one right before the Pre-Season starts. Football rookies can go up in price pretty quickly (Andy Dalton) so I want to make sure I have at least a few of Sanu's cards before the season starts ... as he could be in line to get lots of playing time with coverages focusing on A.J. Green and Jermaine Gresham.

2012 Panini Prestige Mohamed Sanu Autograph RC #273

This Card Is Serial #/499

The Bengals have quite a history of quality WR's despite not always having great teams or QB's. Carl Pickens, Darnay Scott, Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmanzadeh, and recently drafted A.J. Green have all played at an elite level for the Bengals. So despite being a 3rd round draft pick, Mohamed Sanu is on my radar here before the season begins.

First of all, the Bengals don't really have any experienced players at WR ... and in fact A.J. Green is probably the groups leader in only his second season. That means that if Sanu can stay healthy ... he should see some playing time this season. Also, Andy Dalton is more than a capable QB - so I fully expect Sanu to get some opportunities if he can get open.

Moving on to his most recent card from the 2012 Panini Prestige Football set. It looks like he has several autograph cards from the set - but the one pictured here is his 'true' rookie signature. What I noticed is that his signature is actually really bad/lazy - and that sometimes leads to people selling off your cards. With that in mind, I might be a buyer at these low prices - considering he hasn't even played yet. Plus collectors are paying more attention to the top picks, getting a couple Sanu autographs early on in the season might be worth it. If he puts up numbers early on, and the Bengals can pick up where they left off last season ... his prices should climb off the low levels they are at currently. We'll see - but it's actually nice being able to afford Bengals RC's this season, as Andy Dalton & A.J. Green cards are pretty expensive! :)