Marcell Dareus, Da'Quan Bowers Battling for Top Defensive Lineman Honors

Filed under: NFL Draft, NFL Analysis INDIANAPOLIS -- Alabama's Marcell Dareus (photo above) is battling with Clemson's Da'Quan Bowers (photo below right) and Auburn's Nick Fairley for the title of best defensive lineman in this draft class. He likes to compare his game to that of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp, who has gone on record as labeling Dareus the best three-technique lineman in the draft. "Watching Warren Sapp made me want to play football," said Dareus, who at 6-foot-3 and 319 pounds has the ideal build for either tackle or end. "I really got good at it when (the Bucs) won the Super Bowl (after the 2002 season). I was in middle school and I really looked up to him as a person and a player and I like the fact that Warren Sapp thinks that highly of me and recognizes me as the best three-technique." In a moment of levity, when Dareus was asked to describe himself as a player he smiled and sa...