those stats specifically? No, because I seriously doubt a NFL scout, coach or GM sit and think, "ESPN says he is good, so never mind what the tape says". I think if you really believe that ESPN, or Fox, or USA today has any power or influence over what players get picked in the NFL draft then you are really reaching. Heisman trophy, yeah you are absolutely right. Who they invest millions in and stake their jobs on? no way.
influence over the general public, absolutely. But then again, if you sit down and watch the teams you can get a feel for teams or conference strength. I watch a lot of games. And it is clear that the SEC and PAC12 are clearly the best two conferences. Most of that has to do with their players and coaches. And I would wager that over the next few years those two conference will have more picks than the BIG10 or Big12 because of that.Not because espn has a hard on for one team or conference over another.
The whole thing comes down to players and coaches. Either you better recruit the heck outta some good players or be able to identify and develop talent. And I fully disagree with your statement about rankings of hs players. You claim they get extra stars after they commit to SEC schools. That is pretty far fetched really. Considering most high ranked players receive rankings long before the commit. The reason the SEC has more 4 and 5 star player is they have a lot of really talented players in their areas. Have some advantages by being able to sign extra and redistribute early enrollers to the prior year and that frankly right now the SEC is 'cool'. The play the 'best players and teams'. Some of that is media perception and some is based on the run of championships multiple teams share, the vast number of players drafted the past few years and because they (the SEC) market the heck out of them selves and their conference. One thing that differs the SEC from everyone is that the SEC is important to all SEC teams. They champion the conference. They support the other teams when they play OOC. You watch, no matter which team wins on Saturday, coaches, ADs, fans & SEC mouth pieces all alike will champion that team to the NC game. The SEC is a draw to players because of all of those things. And all the teams bring in top players.