Every year, there are new stars born. While retiring or aging veterans slowly start to step away from the limelight, the youth of the league is as strong as it has ever been. As far as pure athleticism is concerned, the league gets better every year.
Because of that, there's a tremendous amount of focus placed on first-round picks. We spend months tracking the progress of college players, because the impact they will give to a franchise, and possibly their opportunity cost, will greatly affect the trajection of their respective teams.
But, once players enter the league, their 15 minutes of fame as prospects are over.