Cannon: 'Looking better and better'

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New England Patriots fifth-round draft choice Marcus Cannon, who is undergoing chemotherapy treatments for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, said his recovery is on a positive course.

Rick Reilly on Marcus Cannon

A non-Hodgkins lymphoma diagnosis sent Marcus Cannon tumbling down the draft board. Then a call from the Patriots lifted the O-lineman's spirits. Story

"It's looking better and better every time I go in," Cannon said Thursday on ESPN's "First Take." "The actual lump that was seen at the [NFL] combine has totally disappeared."

Cannon, who added that he's "feeling great," said he is planning to go through a couple more treatments and see what doctors say.

Cannon, an offensive lineman, said he's recently connected with former Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich, who returned to play football in 2010 after being diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma.

"We had a good conversation," Cannon said. "We talked a little bit and he gave me some pointers. I just asked him questions about when he was losing his hair and asked him how he was getting through it. We shared our stories. It was a friendly talk, like I was talking to another teammate."

Cannon added that he's received support from Patriots fans through Facebook and Twitter.

Mike Reiss covers the Patriots for ESPNBoston.com.

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Mike Reiss

Patriots reporter, ESPNBoston.com

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• Covered Patriots since 1997
• Blogging on Pats since 2004
• Joined ESPNBoston.com in 2009