Marcell Dareus: 2011 NFL Draft Prospects

Marcell Dareus

PLAYER PROFILE

Defensive end Marcell Dareus (H: 6’4″ – W: 306 – College: Alabama)

ROLL TIDE! Alabama Crimson Tide defensive line prospect Marcell Dareus is big-bodied and versatile prospect who had a great collegiate career. As a high school player at Huffman High School, Dareus was considered the a top 10 player in Alabama. In his senior year, he had 117 tackles and 20 sacks. Entering Alabama as a three-star defensive tackle prospect, Dareus played as a true freshman in 2008. He played at both end and nose tackle.

It wasn’t until his sophomore year that Dareus really took off. Despite making only four starts, he had a huge year. In the 2010 BCS National Championship game, he knocked out Texas QB Colt McCoy on a big hit and intercepted a shovel pass just before half time which he returned for a touchdown. He was named Defensive MVP as Alabama went on to become the national champs.

Despite entering 2010 with a ton of hype, it’s arguable whether Dareus lived up to his big-play driven expectations. He finished the season with 34 tackles, , 11 tackles for a loss and 4.5 sacks. It should be noted that Dareus was constantly double-teamed so a drop in his production was inevitable.

Dareus will be widely coveted very early in the 2011 NFL Draft.

SCOUTING REPORT

Strengths: Huge defensive end. Athletic for his size. Good first step and burst off the LOS. Great upper and lower body strength. Plays with good technique, stays low, good pad level. Disruptive bull-rush, good swim move. Agile for his size. Breaks blocks consistently. Good in containment and run defense. Tenacious, always getting after the quarterback or ball-carrier. Good tackler. A 4-3 DT or 3-4 DE.

Weaknesses: Conditioning late in games. Can be beaten mentally and begin giving up on plays. Collegiate issues with NCAA rules. Will need to adjust weight depending upon defensive scheme.

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