2012 NFL Draft stock up spotlight

Throughout the season we'll take a look at some players who helped their 2012 NFL Draft stock with great performances in the previous week's games. Absent but obvious choices this week are Matt Barkley of USC and Tyran Mathieu of LSU. Barkley's draft stock is about as high as can be and Mathieu is only a true sophomore.

Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
Just in time for Heisman Trophy voters to fill out their ballots, Richardson ran for 203 yards in Alabama's Iron Bowl win over Auburn. It's true, Richardson's NFL Draft stock couldn't get much higher. But he may be securing himself a spot in the top eight of the draft.

Chase Thomas, OLB, Stanford
Thomas had quite the stat line in Stanford's win against Notre Dame Saturday: Five tackles, two sacks, three tackles for a loss, a forced fumble and two quarterback hurries. Most impressively, he did much of his damage in the first half while helping stonewall the Irish offense. Thomas is much more athletic than people give him credit for and he could be a top 100 pick.

Julian Miller, DE, West Virginia
There hasn't been much to get excited about regarding Miller this season. Then, he exploded against Pittsburgh with four sacks and 12 total tackles. Miller obviously was impressive off the edge, but his strength against the run helped stop Pittsburgh.

Alex Okafor, DE, Texas
The idea behind doing a stock up spotlight isn't to simply point out the players with the best stats from the weekend. This is truly meant to speak on a player who impressed. Okafor's stats against Texas A&M were hardly impassive with just a single tackle, a pass broken up and a quarterback hurry. Okafor is being featured here for displaying a great first step. Okafor is likely going to be a late-round pick in the draft, but if he consistently plays with the same burst he did Thursday, some team may get a real sleeper.

B.J. Cunningham, WR, Michigan State
Cunningham, a physical wide receiver, has been increasingly impressive this season. Against Northwestern, he finished with six catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns. The two touchdowns came on third-and-long plays, which speaks to his playmaking ability.