Murchison, Smith-Williams Make 53-Man NFL Rosters
Cutdown day in the NFL is always a stressful and in many cases disappointing time. But for both of NC State's 2020 draft picks, Larrell Murchison and James Smith-Williams, Saturday was an occasion to celebrate.
Both players survived the the dreaded 'Turk' and made the 53-man opening week rosters for their respective teams.
The news wasn't as good for Mike Glennon, T.Y. McGill and Tyler Jones, who were released by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos, respectively.
Of the former Wolfpack players on the NFL bubble, defensive end Smith-Williams is the most pleasant surprise.
A seventh-round pick of the Washington Football Team who was the 229th of 255 players selected in this year's draft, he was a longshot to make the roster after missing seven games of his senior season at State because of injuries.
But he took advantage of the repetitions he got in training camp and with an ability to contribute on special teams, he beat out Jordan Brailford, Nate Orchard and Ryan Bee for the final spot on the Washington defensive line.
Murchison's inclusion on the Tennessee Titans' 53-man roster wasn't a surprise. A fifth round draft pick, the defensive tackle who led the Wolfpack with 7.5 sacks as a senior last season has been impressive throughout the preseason because of his ability to pick things up quickly.
He is expected to see action from scrimmage as a backup in addition to his work on special teams.
On the other side of the ledger, McGill was released by the Eagles just 11 days after he signed with the team. The veteran defensive lineman played two regular season games with Philadelphia in 2018 and has also spent time with the Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Chargers.
Jones, a 6-foot-3, 306-pound two-time All-ACC offensive lineman who spent time on Denver's practice squad last season, was released outight by the Broncos on Saturday.
Glennon's release, meanwhile, was somewhat of a surprise. Signed by the Jaguars during the offseason as a veteran backup to starter Gardner Minshew, his demise comes just three years after signing a big-money contract with the Chicago Bears.
Another former State player, kicker Steven Hauschka, was released by the Buffalo Bills earlier in the week.
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