[Goose]

"Hype" shouldn't have any influence on where a player is drafted. The projected potential of a prospect should determine draft position. Though I suppose if your team is more interested in marketing than winning, picking the player being fawned in college is probably going to sell more tickets than the guy few have heard of who might have the higher upside.

Very true, but since the evaluation of talent is a matter of opinion and certainly not an exact science most franchises can't help but pay attention to what "everybody else" thinks, or appears to think. The may be some franchises that do their own evaluations and are totally immune to the flavor du jour but I think very few. The hype unfortunately does matter.

[Goose]

"Hype" shouldn't have any influence on where a player is drafted. The projected potential of a prospect should determine draft position. Though I suppose if your team is more interested in marketing than winning, picking the player being fawned in college is probably going to sell more tickets than the guy few have heard of who might have the higher upside.

Very true, but since the evaluation of talent is a matter of opinion and certainly not an exact science most franchises can't help but pay attention to what "everybody else" thinks, or appears to think. The may be some franchises that do their own evaluations and are totally immune to the flavor du jour but I think very few. The hype unfortunately does matter.