Panini America prepares for NFL Draft night's special NFTs, fan experiences and more
Aidan Hutchinson will be one prospect who will have their own special 1-of-1 NFT to capture their NFL Draft moment
LAS VEGAS – As Las Vegas prepares to welcome future superstars and fans to the city for the NFL Draft this week, Panini America is also getting ready to make its imprint on the event as well.
The trading card industry leader is set to have special 1-of-1 nonfungible tokens (NFTs) for 16 players who will have their names called at the NFL Draft, including potential top pick Aidan Hutchinson. The company will also release more episodes of their Rated Rookie documentary series and have special activations for fans coming into town.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXBUSINESS.COM
Detail view of the Panini seen at the Super Bowl Experience on February 08, 2022, at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"I always say NFL Draft night for a fan is like Christmas and for us it’s like the Super Bowl because we work so closely with all these guys as they start to announce and declare for the draft. We started working with them early on waiting for them to hear their name called for the draft. We’re with them through the combine," Jason Howarth, Panini America’s vice president of marketing, told FOX Business in a recent interview. "We’re with them through their pro days. In some cases, like in the NIL case like Matt Corral, we’ve been with him since last July.
"Thursday night is the culmination in the start of the next step in their journey and their relationship with Panini. That part is super exciting. We’re working with 16 guys this year directly. We’re going to be gifting each one of those players their own personal player-edition NFT on draft night. If they’re here in Vegas, we’ll wait for them to cross the stage and capture that moment, create that into an NFT with their NFL team marks. Some of those guys that we’re working with are at home. We’ll highlight them in their collegiate uniforms and incorporate the NFL team mark into the NFT once their picked."
Michigan standout Aidan Hutchinson will be one prospect to have a 1-of-1 special edition NFT. (Panini America)
The prospect can choose to keep, sell or gift the NFT after receiving it.
Howarth said the interest in NFTs is still trending in a positive direction. He said when the company launched its blockchain platform in January 2020 the collector was able to have the physical card as well as the digitized asset.
"The reason why we did that was because we understood that trading card collectors understood the value of physical trading cards and they were still dipping their toe into the water of the blockchain NFT space," he said, adding that some early cards eventually sold for around $60,000.
Additionally, it is following Hutchinson, Corral and Garrett Wilson’s path to the draft in their Rated Rookie series. The Michigan standout is the first defensive player to be featured in the series.
Michigan Wolverines defensive end Aidan Hutchinson prior to the Big Ten Championship game against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Dec. 4, 2021, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"This is our fourth year doing the Rated Rookie series. They focused on three players in this draft class to tell their story. All three of them have released their first episodes. The next episode will be focused on draft day and going on to their NFL city. The third episode will feature them getting acclimated to their city as they get close to the start of the season," he told FOX Business.
NFL DRAFT 2022: EX-LINEMAN'S FINANCIAL ADVICE FOR ROOKIES, REMARKS ON COWBOYS' CRYPTO DEAL
"We felt like [Hutchinson] was the right guy, the right fit from a defensive point of view to kind of lean in on with a great story and great addition there."
Fans going to the NFL Draft Experience located near the NFL Draft Theater behind the High Roller in Las Vegas will also get a chance to have their own NFT created.
"There’s a couple of different things for the NFL Draft Experience, for the people that are here in Vegas, there’s a couple of different things they’ll be able to do," Howarth said. "We’re the partner for the autograph stage so (fans) will be able to get autographs from those players. In the Panini booth, they’ll be able to create their own digital trading card and they’ll be able to get their own special Panini draft NFT that will only be available through the Draft experience."
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
The NFL Draft Experience will open before the draft begins Thursday night. The NFL Draft is set for 8 p.m. ET in Las Vegas. The Jacksonville Jaguars will be on the clock.