1994 Finest is the first year release from Topps sold in packs. In terms of design it draws comparisons to 1993 Finest baseball with the player in front of live photography in the shape of a ball and a rainbow pattern filling out the spaces in the negative space. Whereas 1993 Finest baseball is titled "Baseball's Finest" like 1992 Finest football, here for 1994 Finest football is the nameplate "Finest".

The set consists of 220 cards. Interspersed in the checklist are 37 "rookie stars" which are dedicated to popular rookies from 1993. Unfortunately this means there are no true rookie cards in this set.

Debuting for the first time in the hobby are Refractor parallels, forever changing the landscape of collecting. The rainbow effect to a glossy and chromium style print make these cards pop out in ways collectors never saw before. These were seeded at a rate of 1 in every 9 packs. Refractors of top players command a large premium in the market place. Also inserted as a box topper are jumbo sized rookies.