BEREA, Ohio -- The Browns may have lost their fourth-round draft pick for the 2017 season.
Cornerback Howard Wilson fractured his kneecap late in the team's first rookie minicamp practice on Friday and will miss "significant time," coach Hue Jackson said Saturday.
Wilson said in a statement released by the team that he would need surgery. Jackson said "hopefully not" when asked if Wilson would miss the entire season.
"It's disappointing, but this a part of playing football," Wilson said in the statement. "It was kind of a freak thing. I was just running around and my knee just kind of locked up on me. I didn't think much of it, but the training staff wanted to get the proper testing so I got the MRI.
"I'm a positive person, so I will have the surgery, work hard in my rehab, and look forward to getting back to out there and helping this team win some games."
Wilson was drafted at a position of need, so his loss is significant. Depth at the position behind Joe Haden and Jamar Taylor is a concern.
"Anytime you lose a player that you drafted the first day when you're trying to see what he is and how he can contribute, that's hard," Jackson said.