Marcell Dareus Marcell Dareus ( born March 13 , 1990 ) is an American football defensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League . He played college football at the University of Alabama , playing defensive end in the Crimson Tide ' s 3 - 4 defense . He led the Southeastern Conference in quarterback sack s in the 2009 season , and was also named Defensive MVP of the 2010 BCS National Championship Game . Early years . Dareus attended Huffman High School in Birmingham , Alabama , where an ASWA All - State honorable mention defensive lineman . He totaled 117 tackles and 20 sacks as a senior , and also returned a fumble for a touchdown . He was teammates with Andre Smith . Dareus was listed on the " Atlanta Journal - Constitution " ' s Super Southern 100 , as well as the " Mobile Press - Register " Elite 18 . Considered a three - star recruit by " Rivals . com " , Dareus was listed as the # 28 defensive tackle prospect in the class of 2008 . He was also ranked the No . 17 overall player on the Alabama Top 35 list . Dareus chose Alabama over scholarship offers from Auburn , Tennessee , North Carolina , among others . College career . In his true freshman season at Alabama , Dareus played in eight games , making his debut in the Crimson Tide ' s season opener against Clemson . He registered four tackles while recording three quarterback hurries . Dareus saw playing time at nose tackle in third - down - and - long situations , replacing the pure run - stuffing Terrence Cody . As a sophomore , Dareus was a big contributor all season at defensive end for Alabama . He played in 14 games and made four starts while serving as the Tide ' s top pass rusher . He totaled 33 total tackles , 9 . 0 tackles for loss ( −49 ) , seven quarterback hurries , an interception and two pass breakups . He finished eighth in the Southeastern Conference and ranked tied for 90th nationally with 6 . 5 sacks ( −44 ) or . 46 per game . For his performance , including a 28 - yard interception return for a touchdown , Dareus was named defensive MVP of the 2010 BCS National Championship Game . In July 2010 , Dareus was investigated by the University of Alabama in conjunction with the NCAA into whether Dareus paid his own expenses when attending a party in Miami , Florida hosted by a sports agent , and whether the circumstances constituted a NCAA violation . In early September , the NCAA suspended him for the first two games of the season in addition to requiring him to pay back the $ 1 , 787 . 17 received in impermissible benefits to the charity of his choice . After the university decided to not appeal the ruling , he made his 2010 debut against Duke in week three . For the season , he totaled 34 total tackles , 11 . 0 tackles for loss ( −41 ) , 4 . 5 quarterback sacks ( −26 ) , ten quarterback hurries and four pass breakups . In the week following the Capital One Bowl victory , Dareus declared his eligibility for the 2011 NFL Draft on January 7 . At the time of the announcement , he was projected as a first round pick . Professional career . Buffalo Bills . Dareus was selected with the 3rd overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills on April 28 , 2011 . On April 29 , the day after the first round , the Bills announced that Dareus would wear jersey number 99 . On July 29 , 2011 , Dareus signed a 4 year deal with the Bills worth $ 20 . 4 million . Dareus started all sixteen games for the Bills , registering 5 . 5 sacks , the most for a Bills rookie since the now - retired Aaron Schobel , despite suffering injuries to his shoulder and hand during the season . In 2011 Dareus became a member of School of the Legends ( SOTL ) , an official partner of the NFLPA . In 2012 , Dareus was excused from the team after his younger brother was shot and killed .