State Defensive Line Tradition Helped Murchison Get to NFL
Larrell Murchison's selection by the Tennesse Titans in the fifth round of the NFL draft Saturday continued a recent NC State tradition of sending defensive linemen into professional football.
It's a tradition Murchison said is responsible for preparing him to become the latest to make the jump.
A raw junior college transfer when he joined the Wolfpack in 2017, he spent a redshirt year learning his craft and improving by watching the way future NFL draft picks B.J. Hill and Justin Jones went about their business.
"It’s a couple players that went to NC State that I really looked at and just took notes from them every day," Murchison said on a teleconference shortly after his selection by the Titans. "B.J. Hill and Justin Jones, those two right there are guys that helped me along the way.
"Just watching what they eat, watching what they do, and watching how they carry themselves, so I feel like those two right there are guys that I look after."
Interior linemen Hill, who plays for the New York Giants, and Jones, a starter with the Los Angeles Chargers, were part of a 2018 draft class that also saw ends Bradley Chubb and Kentavius Street taken by NFL teams.
Chubb was the fifth overall selection in the first round by the Denver Broncos while Street was taken in the fourth round by the San Francisco 49ers.
Despite losing all four starters, State's defensive line production didn't suffer a dropoff the following season on the way to a second straight 9-4 record, thanks in large measure to Murchison and end James Smith-Williams -- who was taken in the seventh round Saturday by the Washington Redskins.
Murchison immediately became a respected leader on the defense because of the "high motor" which which he plays.
"You know, my teammates are my family, my coaches are part of my family, and I play for them. So, when you think of high motor, I’m playing for my guys and I’m playing to win," The 6-foot-3, 295-pound tackle said. "That carried me out throughout my whole college career. Being high motor, running to the ball, chasing the football, you know, that means everything to me."
It's an attitude Murchison said should fit in well with the Titans. Not only is his new coach Mike Vrabel is a former All-Pro outside linebacker who won three Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots, but he was also someone Murchison descibed as a "team first and always" kind of guy.
Although Saturday's selection by Tennessee marked the end of an amazing rise from high school fullback to raw junior college transfer to the latest Wolfpack defender to make the jump to the NFL, Murchison said it's also the beginning of a new phase in his football life.
And he can't wait to get it started ... whenever that happens to be because of the current coronavirus shutdown.
"Once I think about how far I came on this journey and where I started and now to being drafted by the Tennessee Titans, it means everything," he said. "It’s been a long road but I always kept the faith along the way. So I’m ready for whatever’s next."
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top righthand corner of the page. Also be sure to like us on Facebook & Twitter:
Facebook -- ACC Insider
Twitter -- @WolfpackMaven and Brett Friedlander at @BFriedACC
