Virginia Tech cornerback Kyle Fuller pulled out of the Reese's Senior Bowl because he still is rehabbing from surgery in November to repair a sports hernia.
Fuller (6-foot, 194 pounds) originally was scheduled to be one of three Hokies in the game, joining quarterback Logan Thomas and defensive end James Gayle. Fuller's injury limited him to eight games this season, but he still had two interceptions and 10 pass breakups.
"He was still working through an injury, rehabbing," Senior Bowl executive director Phil Savage told The Sun of Baltimore. "We had nine players that were a healthy scratch and 19 players who had some injury or surgery or a rehab situation where they felt like they weren't 100 percent."
The "healthy scratches" were Michigan State cornerback Darqueze Dennard, Oklahoma State cornerback Justin Gilbert, Ohio State running back Carlos Hyde, Florida State cornerback Lamarcus Joyner, Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack, Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews, Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron, Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley and Stanford linebacker Shayne Skov. All but McCarron and Skov are considered potential first-rounders.
Fuller generally was considered one of the top five or six senior cornerbacks in the nation, and should be one of the first 10 corners selected in the draft.
Fuller never redshirted and was a four-year starter for the Hokies; he has started at corner and at a hybrid nickelback/linebacker spot. While he lacks elite speed, Fuller is physical in run support and improved his coverage ability in his final two seasons. He played through groin and shoulder injuries in 2012 without missing a game.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
