NFL Future Watch: Ivan Pace Jr. Football Cards, Minnesota Vikings – Ivan Pace Jr. grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended Colerain High School and was a linebacker and a running back. At 6’1”, 215 pounds, he was a force. At one point, MaxPreps.com had him ranked fifth in the state. After that he committed to Miami University to play NCAA football.
His freshman season was in 2019. As a true freshman, he played in 13 games. He recorded 19 tackles and seven sacks. He had six of those sacks in a very memorable game against Akron. That tied an NCAA record for sacks in a game.
Pace was off to a great start, then the pandemic hit. In 2020, he started the three games Miami played. He had 26 tackles, but he lost valuable development time and time to be scouted.
2021 was a better year for the talented linebacker. He finished the season with 125 tackles, four sacks, and an interception. Pace transferred to the University of Cincinnati because it wasn’t enough to get drafted. He and his brother, Deshawn, who played there as a linebacker too were reunited.
In 2022, he was a starter at Cincinnati. In 13 games, he had 56 solo tackles and 81 assisted tackles. He had 10 sacks for 76 yards lost, four passes deflected, three forced fumbles, and a boatload of awards. Pace was a Chuck Bednarik Award Finalist and Dick Butkus Award Finalist. He was voted All-AAC First Team, AAC Defensive Player of the Year, Unanimous First-Team All-American, and he played in the 2023 Senior Bowl. He was ready for the NFL Draft.
At the 2023 NFL Combine he didn’t kill it. While he ran a 4.62 in the 40-yard dash, had a 35” vertical, and did 22 reps on the weight bench, he didn’t get drafted.
Pace signed with the Minnesota Vikings in late April as an undrafted free agent. Then he made the initial 53-man roster.
Pace had a solid rookie season. He was voted NFL Defensive Player of the Week in a 3-0 win over the Raiders. He had 13 tackles, a tackle for a loss and an interception. On the season, Pace got 102 tackles, two and a half sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and two pass deflections with one pick.
NFL Future Watch: Ivan Pace Jr. Cards Worth Collecting
One card to get is Pace’s 2023 Panini Absolute Blue Diamonds Rookie. It’s numbered to 199 and he is in his Vikings uniform.
Another great card is his 2023 Panini Prizm Rookie Pink Auto. The card shows him running down the field and has a clean autograph.
One last card to look for is the Purple Power variation of the 2023 Panini Prizm Rookie. The card is numbered to just 49.
NFL Future Watch: Ivan Pace Jr. Football Cards, Minnesota Vikings – More Resources
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