Following a spectacular college career at Texas Christian University, Marcus Cannon was thought to be a very solid offensive line prospect. In fact, it was reported that the Chicago Bears were interested in taking him in the bottom of the first round. Instead, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgins lymphoma, and his draft stock took a huge hit.
So along came the New England Patriots to save Cannon. The Pats are renowned for their ability to stockpile draft picks in the draft, and thus have the luxury of taking a lot of chances that other teams might not be able to. Cannon will join first round pick Nate Solder in a youth movement for the Patriots offensive line, likely pairing with former Houston Cougar Sebastian Vollmer to help solidify the Pats blocking.
Cannon is a mauler, and could translate to guard in the NFL depending on what the Patriots think of him. He’s an enormous man and might compare to someone like Leonard Davis if he’s able to overcome the lymphoma.