CLEVELAND, April 28 (UPI) -- Record-setting running back Lee Suggs of Virginia Tech will miss the 2003 season after being drafted in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by Cleveland.
Suggs, the 115th pick overall, suffered a partial tear of his rotator cuff while lifting weights in January and will need surgery. The Cleveland Plain-Dealer reported Monday that Suggs likely will require 4-6 months of rehabilitation.
We knew that he was facing shoulder surgery," Browns Head Coach Butch Davis said. "He may actually spend the entire (2003) season on injured-reserve. The projection is that it's a four or five-month recovery time. He'll come in for a physical sometime in the next seven-to-10 days."
Suggs missed the 2001 after tearing the ACL in his left knee in the season opener against Connecticut, but returned to action and in top form in 2002, when he rushed for 1,325 yards and 22 scores, and had 11 pass receptions for 126 yards and two touchdowns.
Those numbers came despite sharing playing time with highly-regarded backfield mate Kevin Jones.
"They say it takes two years (after an ACL tear), and I had a pretty good year last year," Suggs said. "If it takes two years, then I should be even better this year. I thought I was going to get drafted way higher, but I guess (the knee) is still a question. I just have to continue to keep after it."
The 6-0, 203-pounder rushed for 2,767 yards, averaging 5.2 yards per carry, and scored 53 touchdowns in his collegiate career. He was the leading scorer in Division I-A in 2000.
"Two years ago, Lee Suggs was one of the premier running backs in the entire country," said Cleveland Coach Butch Davis. "He's had several 1,000-yard seasons. We just really like the upside of a guy like Lee Suggs. He can hit home runs from anywhere on the field."
