‘It could have been really bad for me.’ Conrad at UK’s Pro Day after career looked in peril.

For C.J. Conrad, Kentucky’s Pro Day on Friday wasn’t about what numbers he could put up. It was about just being able to get on the field after concerns his football career might be over.

Before the NFL Combine this month, Conrad was ruled out after a medical examination found what was thought to be a heart issue. On Monday evening, after traveling with his mother to Boston for another opinion, Conrad got the OK to continue to pursue his pro football dreams.

“It’s been a tough two and a half weeks, really, honestly,” Conrad said after running through passing drills at the end of the Pro Day workouts. “It really tested me a lot, but just to be out here with my teammates and all that, it’s meant everything.”

Conrad opted not to go through the full “combine” regimen of dashes, cone drills, bench presses, etc., but wanted to do the passing drills. The only problem was he hadn’t been able to work out for nearly three weeks.

“I didn’t know I was going to until this morning,” Conrad said. “I wanted to see how my body was going to do after not working out … . (I) worked out Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and made the call this morning that I feel comfortable doing routes.”

How did he do?

“I feel like I put some good numbers down,” he said, adding that he thinks the scouts “were a little surprised I was able to do what I did today. I don’t think they expected me to work out.”

Conrad had a difficult time expressing how hard the news of the potential heart issue has been.

“Just to hear that news … you have no idea. It’s heartbreaking,” he said, pausing to gather himself. “ I can handle it because I handle that stuff OK, but it’s more seeing my family upset that crushed me.”

He credited his teammates and the support from UK’s football and medical staff for helping him get through it.

“It could have been really bad for me, but I feel so happy to be out here,” he said.

Now come the workouts to get ready for the traditional combine measurements next month. Conrad will be focusing on his 40 times and his bench press for another pro day for NFL scouts on April 8. Safety Mike Edwards, who also sat out Friday due to a hand injury will join him.

“Combine training is a little different than football training,” Conrad said. “It’s underwear Olympics. Just going to get myself ready for that.”

The NFL Draft is April 25-27.

Big numbers

Representatives from all 32 NFL teams, including Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, Oakland Raiders General Manager Mike Mayock and at least two defensive coordinators took in UK’s Pro Day which began in the Joe Craft Football Training Center weight room and ended in the Nutter Indoor Field House.

Josh Allen, UK’s national defensive player of the year and considered by many to be a top-10 pick, decided against running any drills Friday.

“I did everything at the combine and it was just going to be a waste of everybody’s time to get the same results, so I just wanted to cheer my teammates on,” he said.

Two players who weren’t invited to the NFL Combine put up some eye-catching numbers Friday.

Offensive lineman George Asafo-Adjei cranked out 31 reps on the 225-pound bench press, a mark that would have put him tied for 10th at the NFL Combine among all players and tied for fifth at his position. His 4.93-seconds time in the 40-yard dash would have made him the fourth-fastest at his position.

Chris Westry created a buzz at the finish of the 40 when he clocked in at 4.31 on his first attempt. That would have been the second-fastest time among defensive backs at the combine and tied for third-fastest overall.

“You can (hear the scouts buzzing), but you still have more of the workout to finish,” Westry said of his mindset after the dash. “When I was training, I didn’t want to know the times because if I did run good or I didn’t, you don’t want that to linger in your head.”

His 38-inch vertical, which earned him a rousing ovation from his teammates, would have tied him for 12th-best at his position at the combine.

Fellow defensive back Lonnie Johnson, who did go to the combine, came Friday to beat his 40 time there and did, clocking in with a 4.39 after an official 4.52 at the combine.

A confident Benny Snell

Benny Snell Jr. tried to improve on his vertical jump, but skipped the rest of the measurables Friday, preferring to showcase his ball-catching skills and footwork in the final drills of the day.

“I feel like I did phenomenal,” Snell said, although he really wanted to improve in his 29.5-inch vertical. “The plan was to show my skills a little bit out on the field catching the ball, going through the bags and making moves here and there. I just wanted to look fluid and that’s what I’ve been working on.”

Snell listed a slew of teams he’s talked to and had five meetings scheduled for later Friday. The feedback since the combine has been positive, he said.

“A lot of teams are just saying how they need me,” Snell said. “They have a scat back and they’re looking for a power back like me. They wanted to see me catch a little bit more.”

The interviews at the combine were a bit overwhelming, Snell said, but now he’s embracing them and thinking about life after the draft. He believes his name will be called, but couldn’t say when.

“Eventually. That’s all I can say, baby. Benny Snell, eventually,” he said. “Lately I’ve just been having dreams of me just already being in the pads and me just going through the flow just like I was a freshman again. And all the fans being crazy. People not noticing me much, but then me showing what I can do.”

NFL Draft

When: April 25-27

Where: Nashville, Tenn.