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VOLUME 26, ISSUE 1 33 In focus In the spring, coordinator Greg Hudson said that Ra'Zahn Howard could be a first-day NFL pick or a seventh-rounder. The junior nose tackle has the talent, naturally gifted with a low center of gravity, a powerful torso and upper body, with good instincts, all that could make him coveted by the NFL one day. But he lacked focus, drive and want, evidenced by his conditioning the last couple seasons and his over-willingness to let minor injuries send him to the sideline. But the 2015 version of Howard talks — and more importantly looks — like a changed man. The 6-foot-3, 310-pounder had a quiet camp, and that's a good thing because he wasn't doing anything to (negatively) draw attention to himself: No showy calls for the trainers after a seemingly minor scrape. And no trailing far behind the rest of his position group during conditioning drills, looking like the only thing that could save him was a wheelbarrow. Not now. "I've seen a great deal of change in Ra'Zahn Howard in his level of maturity," D-line coach Rubin Carter said. "He came in (as a freshman in 2013) and was overweight and I don't know that he knew what to expect. ... But I think he's figured it out. His work habits have become a lot better. The discipline, learn- ing the funda- mentals and the techniques of the position, all those things, he has a high level of concen- tration. It's important to him." In focus D.J. Knox hasn't played in a game at running back yet for the Boilermakers, so it could be too soon to proclaim him the "real deal." But he certainly seems legit. It's not just the skill set — the joy of deliv- ering blows, the how-did-he-see-that? vi- sion, the stick-the-foot-and-go cutting, the slip-and-spin mobility — but the mentality Knox plays with that impresses. After going into the summer as the likely No. 1, Knox didn't relax: He worked like he wasn't at the top, strengthening what has been called an "action figure" body and getting in better condition to handle a potential workhorse load. That had him clearly entering camp as No. 1, but Knox didn't let up then, either. Every run was hard, legs churning even against thud tempo tackles, and finished to the whistle. And after intense team pe- riods in practice, Knox still con- sistently finished conditioning drills at the end of practice first, focus never wan- ing. "D.J. will tell you he's kind of the guy who will just show you," QB Aus- tin Appleby said. "I'll brag for him. He's a big-time back. He's the man." Tom Campbell Stacy Clardie