WEEI.com will continue to offer daily insight and analysis regarding options that may be available to the Patriots when it comes to the 2011 NFL draft.

Marcell Dareus

Marcell Dareus had six sacks as a sophomore. (AP)

Position: Defensive lineman

School: Alabama

Height: 6-foot-4

Weight: 306 pounds

Achievements: BCS Championship MVP (2010)

What he brings: Considered by many to be the best five-technique prospect in the draft, Dareus has the experience of playing the position in Nick Saban’s 3-4. A player’s association with a “Belichick school” should never be overlooked, as the Pats took three players from Florida and added Alabama’s Brandon Deaderick in last year’s draft. Dareus had 11 sacks over his sophomore and junior seasons and his pass-rushing skills project to the next level.

Where the Patriots could get him: Top 10 (trade up)

Notes: Dareus was suspended for the first two games of his junior season for accepting benefits from an agent, as he was tied in with the mess surrounding North Carolina defensive tackle Marvin Austin that also included fellow top prospect Robert Quinn. Some see him as a potential top five pick, but given the Broncos’ switch to the 4-3, the Bills (No. 3 overall) and Cardinals (No. 5) are the only teams picking in the top five that run the 3-4. That doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of teams that would be willing to move up to get their hands on him.

Dareus has overcome a lot in his life, as his father died when he was six and his mother, who was confined to a wheel-chair in recent years, died last May. He has six siblings, and his mother was not his legal guardian in the several years leading up to her death.

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