Lions rookie DT Nick Fairley is "expected to miss a significant portion of training camp" after foot surgery Wednesday, the club announced.
"The examination of Nick Fairley's foot today by Dr. Bob Anderson resulted in a diagnosis consistent with that of Lions' team physicians that surgical correction was required," the Lions said in a prepared statement. "Accordingly, surgery was successfully performed this afternoon in Charlotte, N.C., by Dr. Anderson."
The Lions' first-round pick in April's draft, Fairley suffered the foot injury on Monday.
According to ESPN's John Clayton, Fairley is expected to be out 3-4 weeks.
The way we see it
Fairley is expected to be a key part of the defensive line as a rookie, but the Lions are still solid up the middle without him, what with Ndamukong Suh already a star and Corey Williams a capable performer, too. The questions now are how much of the summer will Fairley miss — and how quickly can he catch up when he returns?