Former Pitt running back James Conner leads all NFL rookies in jersey sales

Former Pitt running back James Conner was selected in the NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this year. A wave of Pitt fans vowed to buy his jersey when it was released and, well, that seems to be happening. So far, Conner leads all rookies in jersey sales across the league. Not only that but Conner's jersey is close to tops in the NFL.

Steelers running back James Conner was the 105th player chosen in this year's NFL draft. But he's first in jersey sales.

According to data released by Dick's Sporting Goods, Conner's jersey is the No. 1 best seller among NFL rookies this year. Among all NFL players, only Dak Prescott and Tom Brady have sold more jerseys this year.

Now, obviously established veterans that have had their jerseys available for years will be at a disadvantage when it comes to that second part. After all, if you've already got a Tom Brady jersey, chances of you buying another one this year are slim. But the fact that he's beating out practically everyone else in the league, including all of the newcomers is mindblowing.

Sales were expected to be pretty high. With him going from Pitt to the Steelers, a team that many Pitt fans also embrace, it's not a huge surprise that the sales are doing well. Conner's story of beating cancer, too, was an inspirational one that reached the entire nation. It was all sort of the perfect storm for selling a jersey. But ranking so high on the list is really impressive even despite that when you consider he wasn't a very high pick and is still outperforming all of the first-round guys, who typically sell a lot.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the author and founder/editor @AnsonWhaley.