2013 NFL Draft: 10 Prospects Who Will Raise Their Stock with Epic Seasons

There are college players who are going to have great seasons in 2012 as they prove to NFL teams that they deserve to be drafted early in 2013. There also are players who will struggle and fall in the draft.

Players routinely rise up and fall down draft boards, and this year will be no different.

Some of the players who will get drafted in the first round are relative unknowns. This is not something new. A select few have always come out of nowhere to be selected early in the draft.

These players take a huge step forward in their final college season, or simply have too much physical talent for teams to pass on them.

This is an early look at several prospects who can play themselves into a great position to be drafted early in 2013.

Logan Thomas, QB, Virginia Tech

Logan Thomas has all of the physical tools he needs to become the first quarterback taken in the 2013 NFL draft. But because he has questions to answer, he needs to have a great season to solidify his draft stock. If his play matches his physical abilities, he will be in great shape.

Thomas isn't going to sneak up on anyone. All eyes will be on him. Virginia Tech has a relatively easy schedule, and Thomas should be able to put up great numbers against the likes of Austin Peay, Bowling Green and Duke.

Thomas is a very big quarterback with a huge arm. He is 6'5" and 254 pounds and can also move well. He has the ability to punish the opposition by running with the ball. He is a blend of Cam Newton and Ben Roethlisberger. In the new NFL, he is the prototype from a physical standpoint.

Thomas has a great combination of size, arm strength and speed that teams love from the quarterback. He should continue to improve during his junior season and set himself apart from other quarterbacks entering the draft.

Thomas should be an early selection on Day 1 of the 2013 NFL draft. With a great junior campaign, he could be the first overall pick.

Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia

Geno Smith is another quarterback with questions to answer. He needs to build on a great junior season.

West Virginia is moving from the Big East to the Big 12. The rise in the level of competition will help Smith. Playing against teams like Texas, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will help to answer many of the questions about Smith.

Smith has a great arm and a quick release, attributes that NFL scouts love. He faced a lot of pass-rush pressure as a junior, but put up great numbers in spite of it.

Smith should be very productive as a senior. If so, he could well be one of the first quarterbacks taken in the 2013 draft.

Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina

Marcus Lattimore had a great freshman season in 2010 for the Gamecocks. He entered 2011 as one of the better running backs in all of college football, but he tore knee ligaments in October and is on schedule to return in 2012. A great season by Lattimore in 2012 puts any injury questions behind him.

Lattimore is a bell cow-type of running back. He is big enough at 6'1" and 232 pounds to be able to handle as many carries as a team wants to give him. Lattimore is not a running back who looks to bounce outside. He likes to pound the ball between the tackles and he is hard to bring down.

He is sneaky, though, and can make defenders miss. Lattimore also is effective in pass protection and as a third-down back. He is not a running back who needs to come off the field.

Lattimore plays in the SEC against some of the best teams in college football. This will help his draft stock. With a successful junior season, he is expected to enter the 2013 draft.

Lattimore will be the first running back off the board.

Robert Woods, WR, USC

Robert Woods is entering his junior season, but it is safe to say that he already is NFL-ready.  Woods plays in a pro-style offense at USC and broke records as a sophomore, catching 111 passes for 1,292 yards and 15 touchdowns.

He is a force at wide receiver and a player who defenses need to account for on every play.

Woods is an electric athlete at 6'1" and 185 pounds. He can challenge defenses vertically and is a solid route-runner. Woods is better prepared for the NFL than Justin Blackmon,  and Blackmon went fifth overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2012 NFL draft.

In the new NFL where offenses are running the spread and going four-wide, a player like Woods is in demand. He is going to have a another great season and is going to be something special coming into the NFL.

Woods will easily be the first wide receiver off the board.

D.J. Fluker, OT, Alabama

D.J. Fluker is perhaps the best tackle to enter the draft in quite some time. He has all of the physical tools to be the first tackle selected and is a player who can play in the NFL for a long time.

He needs to continue to dominate defenses during his junior season. If he does so, he will firmly elevate his draft stock.

Fluker is massive at 6'7" and 335 pounds. He is a feisty run-blocker and an underrated pass-protector. Playing in the SEC gives NFL teams a chance to assess Fluker's ability while competing against some of the best defenders in college football. That gives him an advantage over other tackles entering the draft.

Fluker has  good footwork, something that is rare for a player his size. Fluker does a nice job of using his long arms to keep defenders in front of him and away from his body.

He is a great talent and will be an early pick in the 2013 NFL draft.

Terren Jones, OT, Alabama State

Terren Jones is a player who most have not heard of coming into the 2012 season. He is an offensive tackle out of Alabama State and is a sleeper at this point in the process.

But Jones is a name that everyone should get to know, since he has all of the physical attributes that NFL talent evaluators love.

There are certainly questions about the level of competition that Jones faces. He will need a great senior season and a nice showing at an All-Star game like the Senior Bowl to show scouts what he can do.

Jones is 6'8" and 335 pounds and has incredible footwork. He is a dancing bear who can move unbelievably well for a player his size. He moves his feet well and has the ability to keep defenders in front of him. Once he gets his long arms on a defender, the play is over for that defender.

Jones has phenomenal physical ability. With a great senior season, he has a chance to get selected earlier than almost anyone thinks in the 2013 NFL draft.

William Gholston, DE, Michigan State

William Gholston is a menace at defensive end. He has an incredible physical skill-set and is a tenacious football player. Gholston is going to be a dominant force on what will be a great Michigan State defense.

The 2013 draft is loaded with talented defensive ends. But when discussing the nation's best at the position, Gholston has to be in the conversation. He can really set himself apart with a great junior season.

Gholston, who is 6'6" and 278 pounds, is an incredible athlete who plays the game with a mean streak. If he can get to the quarterback more in 2012, he will have put himself in great position come draft day.

Gholston's name is going to get called much earlier on draft day than most think. He is easily an early first- round pick.

Corey Lemonier, DE, Auburn

Corey Lemonier can get to the quarterback and that makes him an attractive player for all NFL teams. Lemonier had a productive sophomore season, finishing second in the SEC with 9.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. Lemonier can put himself in great shape for the draft with an outstanding junior campaign.

Premier pass-rushers are a valuable commodity in the NFL If he can continue to get after the quarterback, he will be highly sought after.

Lemonier is 6'4" and 242 pounds and has an explosive first step. He has used his raw athleticism and speed to beat the bigger linemen he plays against in the SEC. His combination of size and speed is rare and in demand in the NFL.

With a solid junior season, he will put himself in a great position to be drafted earlier than most think.

Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah

Star Lotulelei is the best defensive tackle to enter the draft sine Ndamukong Suh. He is a force to be reckoned with along the interior of the line and a player who has tremendous physical tools. Lotulelei is a monster inside and can single-handedly change the fortunes of a defense.

He is 6'3" and 325 pounds and is as physically dominant as any player in college football. He will command double-teams instantly, freeing up the players around him to get to the ball.

We all saw the impact that Suh had on the Detroit Lions defense as a rookie as teams had no answer for his sheer strength. His ability to free up his teammates because of the double-teams that offenses threw at him made others around him very productive.

Lotulelei is a player who will continue to improve a a senior. His draft stock will soar in the pre-draft process.

Look for Star Lotulelei's name to get called in the top five in the first round.

David Amerson, CB, North Carolina State

David Amerson has a rare blend of size, speed and ball-skills that will make him the best cornerback to enter the NFL in quite some time. We have witnessed how valuable elite cornerbacks are in the NFL, especially now that offenses are spreading defenses and throwing the ball all over the field.

As the NFL continues to evolve, defenses will need players who have the size and speed to stay with the elite wide receivers who are in the game today. Amerson has the speed to stay with receivers, and at 6'2" and 193 pounds, he is big enough to hang with the bigger wide receivers.

Amerson also has great ball-skills as evidenced by his 13 interceptions as a sophomore. He should be able to build on that and prove that it was not a fluke.

He is a player who will play himself into a great position to come out a year early.

Look for Amerson's name to get called as one of the top-10 picks. He has all of the requirements to excel at cornerback in the NFL.