NASHVILLE, Tenn. —Some Titans fans wondered about the selection of Alabama running back Derrick Henry.
Veteran running back DeMarco Murray didn't have to.
Coach Mike Mularkey called Murray after the team selected the Heisman Trophy winner in the second round on Friday night.
"You don't do it for everybody, but there's certain circumstances that you feel like it is necessary to make sure you are clear on the motive and why you are doing things,'' Mularkey said. "Out of respect (for DeMarco) I wanted to do that."
So, what did Murray think of the Henry pick?
"First of all, he loved the pick,'' Mularkey said of Murray. "And he said, "He's going to make me better and I am going to do the same for him.' He said, 'I'm going to do whatever I can to make him a great player."
On Friday night, Murray sent out a short message via Twitter welcoming Henry and first-round pick Jack Conklin to the team: "Load up the wagon boys! #titanup #gata welcome to the fam @KingHenry2@JackConklin74...."
Henry ran for 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2015 at Alabama while guiding the Crimson Tide to the national championship. He was the second running back selected in the NFL Draft, behind only Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott, who went fourth overall to the Cowboys.
Earlier this offseason, the Titans traded for Murray, the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year with the Cowboys in 2014. Murray played with the Eagles last season, but the Titans traded for him in March.
"I told DeMarco, 'Nothing has changed since we made the trade for you. You're still going to be the guy who is going to carry the load for us and I know when you need to take a break and come off the field there will be no letdown when the next running back comes in, whoever that is','' Mularkey said. "That is our mindset and I told him that directly not long after we made that pick, that he was clear with the direction we were going to go with it."
