On how happy he is with the selection of Alabama DL Marcell Dareus:
Buddy Nix: Well, you know it's like Christmas and opening the presents. We really liked this guy and everybody did. We had him really high from Day One. We really didn't think he'd be there. Everybody says that, I know, every year. But we're excited about having him.
On his scouting report of Marcell Dareus:
BN:I'll let Chan tell you how we're going to use him. But what we like about him is his size, speed and athletic ability. And on top of all of that is how hard he plays. He's got a great motor, plays hard, tries to make a play every snap and we need that.
Chan Gailey:The great thing about Marcell is we saw him playing on the tight end, on the tackle, on the guard and on the center. He gives you a lot of versatility and 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. You can't say that about every defensive player that comes along. There are a lot of people who make plays, but he is a force. He creates havoc on the offensive side and that was one of the things that we obviously liked about him.
On if Dareus fits into the 3-4/4-3 hybrid defensive scheme:
CG:He fits in every scheme. That's the great thing about him. It didn't matter who picked him or what defense you had, he fits in all of them. That's the type of player he is.
On how much better he thinks the run defense will be with Dareus in the fold:
CG:As I said earlier, he is a force to reckoned with. He is a big, strong, physical, athletic man. I think we got better today. We're better than we were at 8:08 tonight. I think that he brings the type of personality that we want as well as athletic ability.
On how a player like Dareus affects the pass rush:
CG:Sometimes people I think might have not given him enough credit as a pass rusher. I think he can get on the edge of a guard. That's where he had most of his success as a pass rusher was between tackles. But he's a good guy coming off the outside edge as well. Not most of his production came there, but I think he can play that. So, I think he'll have an impact. If nothing else, I can't remember if it was Buddy or someone else, with him hanging around the middle in there it doesn't allow anyone to go out and chip and help outside. It makes them stay inside.
On if the way the first three fell in the Draft was a scenario they predicted:
BN:Exactly like we envisioned it, really. I don't want to tell you that we knew something that anybody else didn't know. I think a lot of people had it figured that way. We were hoping Dareus would be there. We kind of thought he wouldn't be and the last couple of days, it looked like it might go this way.
On if his philosophy was to select a defensive player with the first pick:
BN:Not necessarily. But we wanted to take the best player at a position that we needed and that's what we've got.
On what comes to mind about a standout game of Dareus':
BN:I think consistency more than anything else. The only bad games we've seen him have is when he played with a high ankle sprain. And their trainer, and everybody told us, that had he been with us he wouldn't have played. They had to play him. He played through it and if he had any bad games, that's when it was.
On Dareus sacking Cam Newton:
BN:How many 320-pounders have you seen do that? Keeping him in the pocket and then making a tackle.
On if there would have been more consideration if Dareus had gone No. 2 to go offensively or with QB Blaine Gabbert:
BN:Very likely, yea.
On how he envisions the defensive line looking:
CG:I'd rather not go there right now. I think we can suffice to say that Marcell will lineup. He'll be on the field, we know that. Where? I don't know, but he'll be on the field.
On if Dareus fits the prototypical 3-4 defensive end mold:
BN:Yea, I guess if you were chiseling him out you might make him an inch taller. He might even be better that he's at the height he is because you can't knock him out of there. I think he's close to being the prototype.
On Dareus' temperament:
BN:I think he likes to finish plays. When he gets to the quarterback we'll have to let him know they do fine you in this league. I think one of the big things with us, Chan and his group, is that we want a guy that's going to play as hard as he can every play. And he's one of them. He doesn't take plays off. He doesn't quit on the long chase. He gives you everything and you know what you're going to get every play.
On having a mentor in Kyle Williams for Dareus:
CG:I think we've got more than just Kyle with the right type of professionalism to be able to help this guy make the transition from college to pro. We have a very good defensive line room overall. So, I hate to put it all on Kyle and I think there's other people there that are capable of helping a guy make that transition. There is a transition. I don't care who you are or what position you play, there is a transition.
On Dareus' maturity:
BN:You guys always use 'safe pick' and I don't think there's any such thing. But I think he's about as close as it gets because he's got the right character and that kind of thing.
On if it makes it any easier selecting a player from an SEC and National Championship team:
BN:I think it tells you a little bit about what the upside is for him. Obviously competing at the level he did and the league he competed against tells you what he'll do up here. It's the same people he'll play against. Those guys are going to be up there, too.
On the scheme at Alabama that Dareus played in and being similar to the scheme in Buffalo:
CG:Very much so. Terminology will be a little bit different but the technique and the things that he did it'll be an easier transition for him here than maybe to a straight four-man front team.
On how comfortable he is drafting at No. 34 next:
BN:You can't tell. We might make a trade (jokingly). The 34th pick to me is like a first-round pick. You're talking one or two guys, so we're excited about being with that 34th pick. We think we can get another starter.
On if there is some uneasiness with the amount of time between picks:
BN:When the day is over today, we'll do just like we did this morning. This morning we had three, in the morning we'll have two and we'll get one of them.
On if he would prefer addressing an offensive need including quarterback:
BN:It'd be in the mix, yea. But again, I think we've got several needs. We don't have as many as everybody thinks but we've got several. And the best player to fill one of those needs is who we'll take.
