Titans Add Defensive Lineman in Fifth Round

Larrell Murchison brings some of the same attributes Jurrell Casey showed over the past nine years

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Titans had a long wait Saturday before they made their first selection on the final day of the 2020 NFL Draft.

They selected North Carolina State defensive tackle Larrell Murchison, whose scouting report reads like a sequel that of Jurrell Casey. Heck, their first names even sound similar.

“It's impossible not to notice his motor and that he's always around the ball and rarely on the ground,” according to NFL.com. “Murchison has the ability to battle through blocks and come out well-oriented and ready to make plays.”

Reports from the Senior Bowl, where general manager Jon Robinson watched him in person, was that the 6-foot-3, 291-pounder was a ‘disruptive force’ in workouts.

“That kind of defines me – that high motor and to continue going,” Murchison said. “Because I know that me being a leader on my team in college … if I quit, and if I didn’t chase the ball and I didn’t do what I was supposed to do, you know (teammates) look up to me. What kind of player would I be if I let them down?”

Casey, a third-round pick by Tennessee in 2011, displayed many of those same traits over the past nine seasons, which included five Pro Bowl appearances. The Titans looked to have one of the league’s more dynamic defensive line combos with Casey and 2019 first-round pick Jeffery Simmons. Then they traded Casey to Denver on March 18 in a move to free up salary cap space.

That increased the attention on the defensive line and the need to add another dynamic player at that spot in this draft.

Casey led or shared the team lead in sacks three times in the last six years and his 51 career sacks make him one of just five players in franchise history with at least 50. To say he won’t easily be replaced is an understatement.

Simmons, however, will move into that role and will play a more prominent role overall. Murchison (6-3, 291) will spend more time on the interior alongside veteran DaQuan Jones, now the senior member of the defense who had arguably his best season in 2019.

Murchison led N.C. State with seven sacks (sixth in the ACC) and 12 tackles for loss last season, up from four and eight, respectively, the previous year. He started all 25 games he played for the Wolfpack over two seasons after two years in junior college (he redshirted in 2017). He was a second-team All-ACC selection in 2019. 

“I’m very honored to be here in Tennessee,” he said. “I’m just ready to work. Whatever task they ask me to do, I’m ready to follow it and do what I’m supposed to do.”