A Guide To The 2022 Donruss Elite Football Checklist [Updated]

John Bassey September 7, 2022

2022 Donruss Panini Elite Football

For over 20 years, Donruss Elite has given fans their first glance at the year’s newest rookies in their pro uniforms. And as one of the hobby’s longest-running series, Donruss Elite has a little bit of everything.

A new installment of this series would soon hit the market with tons of inserts, parallels, and exclusives.
However, does the value of this series match its rich history?

Let’s find out with the 2022 Donruss Elite Football review.

Check out prices on 2022 Donruss Elite Football hobby boxes.

Donruss Elite Football 2022 review: History of the product

The history of the Donruss Elite Football dates to over 20 years ago, when the first series was released. After a short hiatus, it returned with the 2015 Donruss Elite Football and has undoubtedly waxed stronger.

This seasoned Panini NFL card series highlights icons of the past, present legends, and also future stars. Lastly, like all previous releases, the 2020 Donruss Elite Football would maintain tradition and deliver something for everyone.

When is Donruss Elite Football 2022 available?

The 2022 Donruss Elite Football will hit the shelves on September 9, 2022.

Check out prices on 2022 Donruss Elite Football hobby boxes.

What makes the 2022 Donruss Elite Football series a hit with collectors?

With such a long run, the Donruss Elite Football series has undeniably built a broad collecting base. This impressive longevity has ensured that nostalgia plays a part in its current popularity. However, it would be an injustice to chalk the reason for this product’s massive followership to only its long run.

Donruss Elite promised to have something for every collector, and it has emphatically delivered that over the years. Every new release is loaded with everything from past legends to the biggest stars still plying their trade in the NFL to the hottest new rookies.

Additionally, there is an abundance of very nice-looking inserts to cater to everyone, including the Pen Pals insert with its on-card autographs. These inserts also include some valuable ones and come in various parallels. Although these inserts aren’t chase cards, they offer numerous distinct designs, making a fun ripping experience.

Donruss Elite Football has always been generous with its cards, as can be seen in this release. Each hobby box offers two autographs, one memorabilia /relic, and three rookies. This is way more hit cards than tons of other series, most of which do not guarantee a rookie card in every box.

Asides from offering three rookies per box, most rookies, such as Turn of the Century, are numbered cards. This is particularly important as it ensures they hold their value incredibly well.

Why are some collectors avoiding Panini Donruss Elite Football 2022?

The last three Donruss Elite Football releases have all had a presale price above $300. With a current presale price of $350, the 2022 Donruss Elite Football doesn’t have a low-priced entry. This sub-$100 product offered a low entry for NFL collectors until a few years ago, when the price was increased.

These days, several collectors are being priced out of it as the price continues to rise. Just like Panini Contender and most series, prices for hobby boxes are steadily rising.

Donruss Elite 2022 Football Review: Release formats

In keeping with tradition, the 2022 Donruss Elite Football should have at least three release formats. Collectors can at least expect the regular 1st Off the Line, Hobby, and Blaster formats.

However, Panini has only released the checklist for the Hobby boxes. We’ll update this article with more information as soon as it’s available, likely shortly before the product’s release.

Hobby Box details

• 5 cards per pack
• 12 packs per box
• 12 boxes per case
• 2 Autographs
• 1 Relic
• 11 Inserts
• 6 Parallels
• 3 Rookies

Presale prices on hobby boxes are pretty fixed across all major outlets at $349. However, you can order from Diamond cards or eBay if you want to save a few bucks.

2022 Panini Donruss Elite Football review: Checklist information

The 2022 Donruss Elite Football base set is a mix of 100 veterans, and an impressive lineup of NFL stars currently lighting up the NFL. In addition, the base set also shows off several top rookies, giving collectors the first look at these players in their NFL uniforms.

Donruss Elite Football 2022 base parallels

• Razzle Dazzle – SSP
• Red – #/399
• Purple – #/99
• Aspirations – #/99 or less
• Status – #/99 or less
• Yellow – #/75
• Orange – #/49
• Teal – #/25
• Aspirations Die-Cut – #/24
• Status Die-Cut – #/24
• Blue – #/10
• Black – 1/1

The patterned Razzle Dazzle parallels also make their return in this set. Although not numbered, it’s a super short print (SSP) and is a tough pull, according to Panini.

2022 Donruss Elite Football inserts, autographs, and memorabilia/relic

This release certainly delivers numerous inserts, offering 11 inserts per hobby box. Leading the way is the Star Status insert, which also highlights some of the biggest names in the NFL.

For hits, the 2022 Donruss Elite Football features on-card rookie autographs via Pen Pals. Other hits include Whiz Kids, A-List, and Star Watch.

Rookies

The 2022 draft features several top rookies with excellent prospects. Collect their first officially licensed Rookie cards.

• Aspirations max #’d/99
• Status max #’d/99
• Aspirations Die Cut #’d/24
• Status Die Cut #’d/24
• Red #’d/399
• Purple #’d/99
• Yellow #’d/75
• Orange #’d/49
• Teal #’d/25
• Blue #’d/10
• Black One-of-One

Pen Pals

No Donruss Elite Football series is complete without the Pen Pals insert. Hence, this tradition continues in the 2022 Donruss Elite Football. Pen Pals offers the first on-card rookie autographs with their pro uniforms. The super short print Pen Pal variation is also available for fortunate collectors.

• Pen Pals
• Pen Pals Blue Ink
• Pen Pals Purple Ink
• Pen Pals Green ink
• Pen Pals Red Ink

Turn of the Century Autographs

This presents another route to collecting your favorite rookie signatures. Base versions are no more than 199 copies each.

• Turn of the Century Autographs Max #’d/199
• Turn of the Century Autographs Red Max #’d/99
• Turn of the Century Autographs Purple Max #’d/49
• Turn of the Century Autographs Orange Max #’d/25
• Turn of the Century Autographs Blue Max #’d/10
• Turn of the Century Autographs Gold Max #’d/5
• Turn of the Century Autographs Black One-of-One

2002 Elite

This throwback insert uses the design from two decades ago to showcase present stars and veterans.

• 2002 Elite
• 2002 Elite Aspirations Die-Cut Max #’d/99
• 2002 Elite Status Die-Cut Max #’d/99
• 2002 Elite Black One-of-One

Moxie

This bright and colorful memorabilia jersey insert highlights top stars currently lighting up the field. With its amped-up colors, this jersey-centric insert is sure to be one of the most colorful designs of the year. Prime versions are numbered to 49.

• Moxie
• Moxie Prime Max #’d/49

Star Status

This vibrant insert showcases only the best NFL superstars in a “unique and creative way!”

• Star Status #’d/349
• Star Status Red #’d/99
• Star Status Purple #’d/75
• Star Status Orange #’d/25
• Star Status Blue #’d/10
• Star Status Gold #’d/5
• Star Status Black One-of-One

Playmakers

This fan favorite hobby exclusive insert carries on Donruss Elite Football tradition of using bold designs to showcase NFP superstars.

• Playmakers
• Playmakers Orange #’d/25
• Playmakers Blue #’d/10
• Playmakers Gold #’d/5
• Playmakers Black One-of-One

Donruss Elite Football value

Few fans can deny the collectability of the Donruss Elite Football. However, with the soaring prices for hobby boxes, is this release worth it for collectors looking for a quick ROI?

Let’s look at how well the last 4 releases have performed in a bid to answer the question. We shall consider both unopened wax and top single cards.

Wax value

The last few years of the Donruss Elite Football hobby boxes have been released to a presale price of around $300 – $350. The current value of these boxes is more than the buy-in rates, which should provide any investor with some decent profits.

However, this profit isn’t anything extraordinary and might not be worth it if you’re holding just a few boxes. Undoubtedly, holding wax isn’t the best route to investing in Donruss Elite Football.

Key single value

Let’s see how well key single cards from this series have performed. However, we shall consider only PSA 9 – 10 cards and sales from the last two months.

As expected, collectors can find the most value in Autographs and other hit cards. However, while the prices of these cards offer some value, it wouldn’t be worthwhile if you ripped several boxes to pull a hit card.

Therefore, purchasing these autographs and hit cards as singles is the best route to investing in this series.

Final thoughts on 2022 Donruss Elite Football

If you’re a collector that collects for fun, you’ll love this series. It offers many inserts, beautiful designs, good photos, nice-looking parallels, and hard-signed Rookie cards in every box.

However, if you collect strictly for profit, you’d be better off looking at other NFL series such as the Panini Flawless Football. If you must collect cards from this series, avoid opening boxes and purchase singles of hit or autograph cards.

Full 2022 Donruss Elite Football checklist

Below is a full 2022 Donruss Elite Football checklist.