"As Marcell Dareus heads toward his first NFL offseason, he was asked what he needs to work on to become more dominant. How can he blossom into a premier run stuffer, a double-digit-a-season sack contributor with annual appearances in the Pro Bowl?

Dareus chuckled loudly: "You think I can make the Pro Bowl every year? A run stuffer with double digit sacks? Man, you have high expectations."

No one expects Dareus to be Bruce Smith and Warren Sapp rolled into one but, yes, there are high hopes for the No. 3 pick overall of last year's draft. Even the 6-foot-3, 330-pounder has a high opinion of himself. He did not hesitate at the end of the season when asked to rank his play.

"On a scale from 1-10," he said, "I'd say an eight."

NFL rookies are usually apprentices who rediscover a game that is much more unnerving at the professional level than the one they knew in college. But Dareus appeared right at home as a 3-4 end and as a 4-3 tackle which, depending on the scheme, are essentially the same position.

"I'm comfortable wherever they want me," Dareus said. "I don't think there's an uncomfortable position on the field for me."

Dareus was strong at the point of attack and when he played defensive end he was good at controlling his run gaps while displaying the size and strength to be a factor as a pass rusher. Based on his reputation at Alabama, Dareus was a marked man this season and one-on-one-matchups were rare, but he said he was able to overcome double teams. "