ELIZABETHTOWN — Many a man has carried their guitar to Nashville, Tennessee.
Larrell Murchison is ready for the challenge.
On Saturday one day after his 23rd birthday, he became the first NFL draft choice from Bladen County. The Tennessee Titans made him the 174th pick overall during the fifth round, climaxing a long journey that began in the Bladen County Parks & Recreation Department and went through East Bladen High School, Louisburg College and N.C. State.
“It’s what you dream about, getting paid to do what you love,” Murchison said Sunday afternoon in an interview with the Bladen Journal.
His signature celebration is strumming an air guitar after big plays. He left no doubt he’ll take his show to the Music City. His message for youngsters back home who may see it is born of the blue-collar worth ethic that has endeared him to his coaches.
“Just keep going,” the second-team All-ACC defensive lineman said. “Don’t let nobody tell you what you can’t do. Just because someone is not looking at you doesn’t mean you can’t keep going and somebody will. Where you’re at doesn’t have to be where you end up.”
He took in the three days of the draft process at home with his parents, Glenda and Milton Murchison, twin brother Farrell, brother Tim, sister Kayla and friends from Louisburg. His sister Brandi was unable to be with them.
Their celebration began at 3:28 p.m. Projected anywhere from third to fifth round, his was an anxious time leading up to that point.
Turns out, Titans’ General Manager Jon Robinson and head coach Mike Vrabel were much the same. Tennessee had picked late in the third round just before midnight on Friday and didn’t have a pick in the fourth. Saturday began with more than three hours and no Titans picks.
“Vrabel and I talked this morning,” Robinson said, “and he’s the guy he had kind of circled in his notebook and he was the last guy I looked at when I closed my computer up last night to go to bed. We weathered 67 picks there with him and were fortunate enough to get him.”
Murchison, described by some analysts as top-100 value, goes to a franchise that last year came up one win short of the Super Bowl. The Titans lost 35-24 in the AFC Championship to eventual world champion Kansas City after going 9-7 in the regular season to finish second in the AFC South. They went on the road and ousted New England 20-13 and Baltimore 28-12. Tennessee has been to the playoffs two of the last three years, which ended a drought of eight consecutive years with no postseason.
Vrabel, former third round pick of the Steelers, was a winner in three out of four Super Bowls with the New England Patriots. In a conference call with Titans’ reporters Saturday night, he said everyone the team puts on the 90-man roster will get an opportunity.
Consensus among draft analysts is that Murchison’s agility gives him a chance to play anywhere along the defensive front and be a regular part of the rotation. He measured 6-foot-2, 297 pounds at the NFL Combine in February and put up an impressive performance in the weight room and drills.
Analysts also say he “made money in Mobile” when appearing in the Reese’s Senior Bowl, an all-star event that bills itself as where the journey to the draft begins.
“I’m excited for him and his family,” said East Bladen head coach Robby Priest. “He’s worked his butt off. Maybe he can play long enough to where he can make him some good money, retire at an early age, and enjoy life.
“If you’re good, they’re going to find out. Trust the process part of it. He’s just so humble. He’s been coming to the house; we’ve been working out. He’s not big-headed at all, he’s down to earth — that’s from his upbringing. Both teams got a win — the Murchison team got a win, and the Titans team got a win.”
Priest doesn’t recall much of Murchison’s freshman year playing junior varsity. But the player and the coach know what happened his sophomore year.
“He was a smart coach,” Murchison said. “He took a whole bunch of guys my sophomore year, put us on varsity. I didn’t play much on JV. He saw me, saw my work ethic, and ever since I got that shot, I took it and ran with it. That’s what I’ll never forget.
“We had some memorable moments, but that’s one big thing I do remember.”
Farrell was in the backfield on the way to school records, and Larrell was on the offensive line at tackle.
“He got so good at blocking, I said let’s move him to fullback so our best blocker can go right and left,” said the coach who rarely punts before halftime. “I remember a lot of times in the fourth quarter, a lot of DBs and linebackers, they didn’t like 260 and 220 coming at them downhill. It worked to our advantage most of the time.”
Murchison said he had “never been in the backfield. Never.”
“I was like let’s see what we’ve got going on here,” he said. “Let’s see what Coach Robby has got going.”
Murchison ran for five touchdowns and 545 yards, but by design helped clear the way for Farrell’s school records of 73 TDs and 5,749 yards.
“He’s my favorite running back,” Larrell said.
On defense, Larrell had 83 tackles. The Eagles were 25-12 the duo’s three varsity seasons, reaching the playoffs’ third round once and the second round twice.
“He and his brother, they were leaders. They weren’t followers,” Priest said. “They loved to play football. Nowadays, some people just think it’s about showing up and playing. But they brought it every day of practice, that whole group did while they were there. In the hallways, cafeteria, classroom, they represented the school well.
“They were good dudes back then. That’s a credit to their parents, their upbringing. We were just lucky to have them.”
Murchison is expected to learn what’s next with the Titans this week. The offseason schedule has been dictated by the coronavirus, even including the draft. While it went on as scheduled, it was held virtually through the internet and television rather than on location in Las Vegas as scheduled.
EnterSports Management is the agency representing him. The NFL uses a rookie compensation pool formula to determine contracts, with the 32 teams this year splitting $1.4 billion based on team salary caps of $198 million, number of picks and where they fall in the draft.
Spotrac projects his contract package at $2.9 million, including a $277,741 signing bonus and a 2020 salary of $679,435. Over the Cap projects a four-year deal in the range of $3.53 million to $3.64 million, with average salary between $669,444 to $698,619.
Murchison said he hasn’t discussed that part yet but has a general plan to save and become financially stable. In fact, almost 24 hours after being drafted he was yet to look at a schedule that includes a visit to Nashville by the Steelers and a road trip to Green Bay — two of the league’s most iconic franchises. He also might soon be chasing former N.C. State quarterback Philip Rivers, an offseason pickup of the division rival Indianapolis Colts.
In a conference call with Tennessee media on Saturday evening, Murchison said he’s honored to be with the team and looking forward to going to work.
And he’ll have that air guitar ready.
“I took it from someone on Instagram,” Murchison said Sunday. “He was strumming it, and having fun with it, and I put my own twist to it. I got my first big play and that’s when I did it.”
Murchison wouldn’t be described as a big country music fan, but he does appreciate Jason Aldean’s “Big Green Tractor” among a few others he mentioned.
He keeps in mind the advice of Justin Jones, a former N.C. State defensive lineman now with the Los Angeles Chargers.
“Work extremely hard,” Murchison said. “Just listen, do what you have to do and keep getting better.”
For Murchison, that doesn’t figure to be a problem. That’s exactly what got him here.
Larrell Murchison holds tight an interception against Florida State as N.C. State teammate Stephen Griffin (21) congratulates him. The former East Bladen High School standout had three sacks in his ACC debut against Virginia and has started every game for the Wolfpack.
Larrell Murchison (92) rushes East Carolina quarterback Holton Ahlers (12) during the first half Aug. 31.
Larrell Murchison (92) sets his sights on East Carolina running back Darius Pinnix Jr. (7) on Aug. 31.
Larrell Murchison runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis on Feb. 29.
Larrell Murchison runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine, where he scored very high with most scouts.
Larrell Murchison (92) joins Payton Wilson (11) and Alim McNeill (29) in pursuit of Florida State running back Khalan Laborn (4) on Sept. 28.
Larrell Murchison played tackle for the North squad in the Senior Bowl.
At 3:28 p.m. on Saturday, the name of Larrell Murchison scrolled onto the TV screens across America – the 174th overall pick during the fifth round of the NFL Draft by Tennessee.
Larrell Murchison said Sunday that there’s no doubt he’ll take his air guitar celebration for big plays with him to the Music City as a member of the Tennessee Titans.
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