Bengals rookie cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick is telling associates that he suffered a leg injury while gearing up for camp, CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora reports. According to one league source, there could be an issue with a small broken bone in that area, and could cause the rookie to miss most or all of camp.

The Bengals declined comment, and cited coach Marvin Lewis' policy of not addressing anything potentially injury-related this time of year until after the team has gathered for camp and players have taken their physicals.

Kirkpatrick, the 17th-overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, was one of two first-round picks (along with guard Kevin Zeitler) and a large reason why many believe Cincinnati can sustain its success from 2011 into the coming season.

They were the headliners in a draft class that many folks believed made the Bengals big winners back in April.

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The cornerback was chosen with the selection the Bengals received during the mid-season trade with the Raiders that sent Carson Palmer to Oakland.

Cincinnati also added Terence Newman and Jason Allen in free agency and also still have star cornerback Leon Hall, though he's recovering from an injury that ended his season early in 2011. They also have Adam Jones, Nate Clements and Brandon Ghee filling out the depth chart.

Kirkpatrick confirmed the injury on Twitter Tuesday night.

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