Patriots Draft Cannon in Fifth Round
4/30/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 30, 2011
Former TCU offensive tackle Marcus Cannon has been drafted by the New England Patriots with the seventh pick in the fifth round of the 2011 National Football League Draft.
Combined with former TCU quarterback Andy Dalton being selected Friday in the second round by the Cincinnati Bengals, TCU has now had 26 players drafted in Gary Patterson's 10 seasons as head coach.
TCU has had at least one offensive lineman drafted in six of the last seven seasons.
The 6-foot-6, 350-pound Cannon was named to three All-America teams in 2010. He was a three-time All-Mountain West Conference selection, including the last two seasons as a first-team pick.
After playing at right tackle his first three seasons, Cannon was moved to left tackle in 2010.
An Odessa, Texas, native, Cannon was a three-year starter. He played in all but three games in his TCU career. He did not allow a sack his junior season.
Cannon was instrumental in TCU setting single-season offensive records each of the last two seasons. In 2010, the Horned Frogs established new school marks in touchdowns (73), points scored (541), total offense (6,199 yards) and first downs (327). TCU ranked fourth nationally in scoring (41.6 points per game), sixth in passing efficiency (166.9), 10th in rushing (247.4 yards per game) and 12th in total offense (476.9 yards per game). The Horned Frogs also tied for fifth in fewest sacks allowed, surrendering just nine in 13 contests (0.7 per game).
Following his sophomore season, Cannon was named by ESPN The Magazine's Bruce Feldman as one of the nation's Top 10 Workout Warriors.
TCU went 25-1 in Cannon's last two seasons, including back-to-back BCS appearances. In his final game as a Horned Frog, Cannon helped lead TCU to a 21-19 Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin.
