An NFL first-round pick is among the most valuable assets a team can possess. Players drafted within the first 32 slots are supposed to be the cornerstones of a franchise. They don’t necessarily have to be superstars who can tilt games on their own. Those kinds of talents don’t grow on trees, if you could even will them into existence. If everyone had the capacity to be a star in a diluted space, then no one could be a star.
First-round picks do, however, have to be valuable starters at important positions (quarterback, offensive tackle, cornerback, top pass target).