By MICHAEL MAROT, AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Dee Milliner wanted to wait until after the BCS Championship game to fix his shoulder.

Now he's waiting till after this week's NFL Scouting Combine.

The Alabama alum who is expected to be the first cornerback taken in April's draft said Sunday that he will have surgery March 12 to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. He's expected to need about two months to fully recover and with the injury being no secret, he doesn't expect it to hurt his draft stock.

"I know I'll be back to normal, making plays and that's why I wanted to come to the Combine, just to do this and just to show that I can move around and do stuff with my arm hurt now," Milliner said.

The defensive backs won't work out in Indianapolis until Tuesday after most coaches and general managers have already left town. And unlike some of the other top prospects, Milliner said he plans to do all the drills other than the bench press this week.

His reasoning is simple: Even at less than full strength, he still feels he's the best cornerback available.

The injury occurred Nov. 10 when Alabama lost its only game of the season to Texas A&M. Milliner said he was injured as he dove to make a play on the ball. He could have opted for surgery then, but decided to play through the pain instead and wound up helping lead the Crimson Tide to its third national title in four years.

"I was hurting when I was playing, but you've got to fight through it and keep playing," Milliner said. "So I just continued to go out there and play."

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