What does it take to be a good NFL draft prospect?

 Obviously, being good at football in college is a big determinant of how early you will get drafted, but it is not everything. Honestly, it varies by position, but there are certain players that have characteristics that will allow them to get drafted earlier. 

For example, a big thing nowadays is monitoring how many snaps running backs take all the way from high school. They take wear and tear more than any other position and have the shortest careers, so it is important to try to get a good one while they don't have many snaps on them. Another determinant is age, in general, the younger the prospect is the more interest he will create from teams. 

For quarterback, the ability to process reads quickly is the most important factor. This is really hard to evaluate, but all of the bests quarterbacks can progress through their reads quickly. For offensive linemen, health is a very important factor. As you can see, different characteristics are evaluated more heavily for each position.