Marcus Cannon

Marcus Darell Cannon (born May 6, 1988) is an American football offensive tackle with the New England Patriots of the National Football League. Prior to the 2011 NFL Draft, Cannon was considered one of the top offensive guard prospects; the Patriots selected Cannon in the fifth round with the 138th pick. He played college football at Texas Christian University, where he played offensive tackle.

During the 2011 NFL Combine, Cannon's physical showed irregularities; further testing led to a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, for which Cannon underwent treatment during the summer of 2011.

Collegiate career
Cannon played college football at Texas Christian University, where he played right tackle for his first three seasons, before switching to left tackle his senior year, protecting the blind side of quarterback Andy Dalton. In 2009, he did not give up a single sack; in 2010 he was part of an offensive line that gave up a total of just nine sacks all year.

New England Patriots
The Patriots drafted Cannon in the fifth round of the draft, with the 138th pick, acquired in a trade from the Houston Texans. Cannon's late selection in the draft is widely attributed to him being diagnosed with a non-Hodgkin lymphoma pre-draft. Weighing in at 358 pounds at the NFL Combine, Cannon is the heaviest player ever drafted by the Patriots, and the second-heaviest player in team history after nose tackle Ted Washington. (At TCU's pro day in March 2011, Cannon was measured at 349 pounds.) Although he played offensive tackle throughout his TCU career, the Patriots listed Cannon as an offensive guard when announcing the pick.

2011 season
Cannon began the 2011 season on the Non-Football Injury list as he recuperated from his chemotherapy treatment, which took place during the NFL lockout.

Cannon was activated to the 53-man roster after the Patriots' Week 10 game against the New York Jets, and saw his first snaps in the NFL at right tackle on the Patriots' final drive against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11.

Cannon was selected as the Patriots' recipient for the Ed Block Courage Award.