Marcus Cannon just thankful to get drafted
Cannon remembers glancing at some mock drafts just a few weeks ago and seeing his name near the end of the first round or in the second round. But that was before he went to the doctor and had some physicals done at the request of NFL teams.
Cannon had a benign growth in his groin more than four years ago and assumed that issue was behind him. But Cannon said one NFL team requested a biopsy and that's when it was discovered that he had non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He has already had one chemotherapy treatment and because of his age and overall health, Cannon has a more than 90 percent success rate of beating the cancer.
"I was shocked," Cannon said. "I was pretty shocked."
The news dropped him down draft boards, allowing the Patriots to grab him with the seventh pick in the fifth round. Even though it was several rounds later than Cannon thought he'd be taken even just a week ago, he's happy to be a Patriot. He was at home with his family when word came.
"We were ecstatic and thankful," Cannon said. "We were pretty happy that the day finally came."
As soon as he found out about the cancer, the 6-foot-6, 350-pound senior went about figuring out what he needed to do to beat it. And his faith has helped him deal with it.
"There's no disappointment," Cannon said. "This is the path that God chose for me. I go with the path he chose for me. I don’t worry about what anybody else says."
Once the biopsy was done, Cannon's representatives sent medical reports to all 32 teams. Cannon said he should be finished with the chemotherapy by the end of June, but didn't want to talk about the specific treatments. He is confident he can get through the chemo and get in shape to become a solid NFL player.
"This whole thing will make me stronger," Cannon said. "I know I have to be ready and work hard to face faster and bigger defensive lineman in the NFL. I want to look at film, work on things and get better. I'm ready to do that."
Richard Durrett
ESPNDallas.comTEAM RESOURCES
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Richard Durrett
Richard Durrett joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He writes about colleges, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. Richard spent nine years at The Dallas Morning News covering the Rangers, Stars, colleges, motorsports and high schools.
Tim MacMahon
Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
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