With the 138th pick in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots added some offensive line help with the addition of TCU tackle/guard Marcus Cannon.

Cannon, a 6'5" 358 pound mauler, played left tackle throughout his career with the Horned Frogs, but projects as a guard with the New England Patriots.  He's got an extremely strong anchor, and is not easy to push around.  He is a powerful guy, and has surprisingly nimble feet, although his strongest asset is his run blocking.  What's interesting is that he isn't the best guard at pulling, which is something the Patriots do a lot of with their guards.

Heading into this week, Cannon was projected widely as a second round draft pick who had an outside shot of going at the tail end of the first round.   Unfortunately, he was recently diagnosed with a treatable form of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.  This caused his stock to slip, but the Patriots were patient and selected him in the fifth round.

Cannon will reportedly begin undergoing chemotherapy on Wednesday, and will finish his treatment June 29th.

Of course, we wish Cannon the best on his recovery.  And hopefully, by 2012, Cannon can step in and be a starter along the Patriots' interior line.

Draft Grade: A-