The 2011 NFL Scouting Combine cost Marcus Cannon money, but it may have saved his life.
Medical tests conducted there led to his diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In the 2011 draft, Cannon fell to the fifth round, where the Patriots made the 6'5", 358-pound Cannon the heaviest player they have ever drafted.
Given his size, many Patriots fans and analysts—myself included—have thought that Cannon's most natural role would be as a guard, rather than as a tackle.
That said, at Texas Christian University, he admirably protected Andy Dalton's blind side at left tackle. And it appears that the Patriots view Cannon's primary position as tackle, not guard—as Ian Rapoport reported in February for the Boston Herald.
If the Patriots do see Cannon as a tackle, then the Patriots may need to draft someone to groom as a replacement for Brian Waters at right guard; if they see Cannon as a guard, then they will likely need to draft an extra tackle to develop behind projected starters Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer.