Murchison Nearing End of Long, Winding Road to NFL
There are many different roads that lead to the NFL. Some are just a little less traveled than others.
Larrell Murchison knows that better than most.
His route took him from Elizabethtown, a tiny dot on the map in Eastern North Carolina, to Loiusburg Junior College, where the high school fullback showed enough potential as a defensive lineman to become a late addition to NC State's 2017 recruiting class.
After going through a redshirt year and helping his twin brother Farrell -- a running back at Winston-Salem State -- through a battle with cancer, Murchison emerged blossomed into one of the premier defenders in the ACC while leading the Wolfpack in sacks last season.
At some point either Friday or Saturday, his long journey will end with his selection in the NFL draft.
It's a reality even Murchison has a hard time believing.
“It hasn’t hit me yet because I’m trying not to get too up or too down," he said in a recent Zoom interview with SI All Wolfpack. "I’m moving at a steady pace right now. It hasn’t hit me. When my name gets called, if my name gets called, that’s when it will hit me. That’s when I’ll be like, okay, this is real.”
Murchison, a 6-foot-3, 297-pound tackle who has the ability to play outside as well, is projected to go anywhere from the third round -- which will take place on Friday -- to the fifth round on Saturday depending on which mock draft you prefer.
At this point, the former State star isn't concerned about where or when he's taken. He's just anxious to turn the end of his long, winding road to the NFL into the beginning of what he hopes will be an equally long and successful professional career.
“Any day is fine with me," Murchison said. "I’m ready to work and show improvement.
"I told the scouts if you look at every year playing football in high school and in college, I’ve improved every year. Hopefully they understand the kind of player I am and how much I love football.”
He also loves State and the opportunity he was given by coach Dave Doeren, the staff and his teammates.
In a video letter to the Wolfpack posted on Twitter earlier this week, Murchison expressed his gratitude to all those that have helped him along the way.
"I couldn't have done it without my brothers," he said in the video. "They mean everything to me. We had fun together, we trained together, we worked together. It's a whole family.
"From the big plays we made together to the bit hits we made together, From Day 1, ya'll veered out a plan for me to do and guided me on what I needed to do to be great. I followed that plan and sure enough, it led me to success."
And now, sometime in the next 48 hours, to the NFL.
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