"The Buffalo Bills addressed their biggest weakness Thursday by choosing University of Alabama defensive end Marcell Dareus with the third pick in the NFL Draft. Dareus, 6-foot-3 and 319 pounds, immediately upgrades Buffalo's woeful run defense. Buffalo ranked last in the NFL in rushing yards allowed last year and has ranked in the bottom 11 in the 32-team league against the run six straight seasons. The Bills made the choice after Carolina selected Auburn quarterback Cam Newton first overall and Denver picked Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller second. Dareus is the highest Bills draft choice since the team picked Bruce Smith first overall in 1985. He's the biggest and most talented defensive player the team has drafted since Smith. "What we liked about him is his size, his speed and his athletic ability, and on top of all that how hard he plays," Bills General Manager Buddy Nix said. "He has a great motor, plays hard, tries to make a play every snap and we need him." Dareus has the bulk to stuff the run and showed great ability to crash the passing pocket in his college career. He was the defensive most valuable player in Alabama's win over Texas in the national championship game at the end of the 2009 season. He figures to step in immediately as an end in the Bills' 3-4 defense. In passing situations, he most often would shift to a defensive tackle spot in a four-man line. "The great thing about Marcell," said Bills coach Chan Gailey, "is he played on the tight end, he played on the tackle, he played on the guard, he played on the center. He gives you a lot of versatility. We'll play him at defensive end initially in our scheme but I can see him lining up in a lot of different spots for us as time goes on." "I think he is a forceful player," Gailey said. "You can't say that about every defensive player that comes along. There's a lot of people who can make plays but he is a force. He creates havoc on the offensive side. That was one of the things that we obviously like about him." Dareus left college a year early. As a junior in 2010, Dareus finished with 4.5 sacks, 33 tackles and 11 tackles for loss. He sat out the first two games due to a suspension related to improper contact with an agent. He also played the first part of the season with an ankle injury. In 2009, Dareus had 6.5 sacks. He knocked Texas QB Colt McCoy out of the title game with a big hit and later returned an interception for a touchdown. Buffalo allowed 169.5 rushing yards a game last season, the second most in team history. The Bills have had particular problems matching up physically with their division foes. The New York Jets have averaged 279 rushing yards a game in their last four meetings with Buffalo. The Bills have not had an elite run-stuffer the likes of Dareus since Pat Williams left the team after the 2004 season." Read more: http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bills-nfl/nfl-draft/article406537.ece
