The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Keystone grad’s stay at combine cut short
Keystone graduate, tight end prospect says he’ll get more tests on heart
Keystone graduate C.J. Conrad was hoping to make an impression at the NFL Scouting Combine, but instead he was forced to cut short his stay in Indianapolis.
On March 1-2, the Kentucky tight end — ranked among the top 10 at his position for the 2019 NFL Draft — was scheduled to meet with reporters then work out for general managers, coaches and scouts the following day. However, a medical issue was discovered and he was sent home.
Said Conrad via Twitter: “Today I was told that I would not be able to participate in the NFL Combine due to a heart issue that came up during my physical. I am headed back to Lexington to receive a second opinion and get more tests done. The goal is to get cleared before March 22 for my pro day. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers. I won’t let this stop me from achieving my dream.”
Kentucky Sports Radio reported March 1 doctors at the Combine “medically disqualified” Conrad from activities after they heard something abnormal in his heart during a physical.
By Mark Podolski
mpodolski@news-herald.com @mpodo on Twitter
“I feel like I’ll be fine and overcome this. It’s just another step in my journey.”
— C. J. Conrad, to Kentucky Sports Radio
Conrad told the radio station the news was a shock to him, and he has not had heart problems in the past.
“I feel like I’ll be fine and overcome this,” said Conrad to KSR. “It’s just another step in my journey.”
Conrad’s father Mike told the Lexington HeraldLeader his son will meet with the medical staff at the University of Kentucky.
“Obviously his health is first and foremost on all our minds,” said Mike Conrad. “That’s really pretty much everything we know at this point. They were being very cautious, as they should be.”
Conrad has good size for an NFL tight end at 6-foot4, 250 pounds and is a solid blocker. He was productive when the ball was thrown his way. As a senior for the 10-3 Wildcats this season, Conrad had 30 receptions for 318 yards and three
touchdowns.
Before the start of the 2018 season, Conrad was ESPN’s draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s No. 1-rated tight end.
“For me, it motivates me,” said Conrad in the summer of 2018. “That’s how I’ve always been. Success or accolades or whatever you want to call it has always motivated me to push harder because I want to prove those people right. I also had that in my mind. It’s just they’re now seeing it. This has always been my thought pro- cess. This is always who I thought I was as a player. Now people are just seeing it. So nothing has changed for me.”
Perhaps his finest moment for the Wildcats was this past season. The play was a dramatic 2-yard TD catch with 4 seconds remaining on the clock that gave a Conrad and Kentucky a 15-14 win at Missouri.
In 42 career games, he had 80 catches for 1,015 yards and 12 touchdowns.