You often hear about a player using a slide in the draft for motivation at the pro level. Maurice Jones-Drew, for instance, chose No. 32 at his jersey number because every team passed on him.
Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus only slipped to No. 3, but that’s not going to stop him from taking out his aggression on the Panthers and Broncos.
“If I ever get a chance to play Carolina I’m going to make them pay for passing up on me,” Dareus told Michael Irvin on WQAM Monday via BuffaloBills.com. “Denver I’ll get a chance to play them in the regular season and I’m going to make it hell for them every time I play against them.”
G.M. Buddy Nix should be thrilled the Broncos did pass on Dareus. He told the team’s website the Bills loved the top three picks, but the team preferred Dareus to Von Miller. (What else is he going to say?)
Still, we like seeing this side of Dareus, who came across as mild-mannered in the buildup to the draft. Not so much anymore.
“My sole focus was for me not to give you a reason to not pick me and you still don’t?” Dareus said. “Okay, I understand you have needs somewhere else, but if you need somebody to control your front and be a commander across the front and not let anything happen? I work my butt off to do that, and you pass me up still? Okay, I’ve got something for you.”