Every cornerback drafted during the Pete Carroll era has had 32 inch arms. They have acquired a cornerback with sub-32 inch arms (Marcus Burley) but he was considered a slot-corner only.

With the Seahawks seemingly prepared to continue playing predominantly in nickel (4-2-5) it looks like addressing the ‘fifth DB’ is a priority (either a big nickel or orthodox slot cornerback) so we’ll see how important arm length is if they address this early in the draft (Adoree’ Jackson and Chidobe Awuzie could easily be on their radar).

However, at the very least they view length as vital at outside cornerback. So are we right to focus on pure arm length or is wingspan the more important feature?

Wingspan is defined as the length between the tip of your middle finger on one outstretched arm to the other.

The average NFL cornerback has a wingspan of 75.5 inches (31.5 inch arm length).

Here’s the arm length and wingspan data for some of Seattle’s draftees, acquisitions and starters since 2010:

Richard Sherman — 32 (arms) 78 (wingspan)

Brandon Browner — 33 (arms) 80 (wingspan)

Byron Maxwell — 33.5 (arms) 77.5 (wingspan)

Jeremy Lane — 32.5 (arms) 78 (wingspan)

Tye Smith — 32 (arms) 78 (wingspan)

DeAndre Elliott — 32 (arms) 77.5 (wingspan)

Neiko Thorpe — 31 3/4 (arms) 78 1/2 (wingspan)

Stanley Jean-Baptiste — 32 3/8 (arms) 78 3/8 (wingspan)

Pierre Desir — 33 (arms) 77.5 (wingspan)

All of these players have at least been tried at outside corner (Lane started as a rookie at outside corner and is currently ‘next man up’ to replace Deshawn Shead).

The Seahawks appear to be less concerned about wingspan at safety. For example, Earl Thomas’ wingspan is only 74.5 inches and Kam Chancellor’s wingspan is 76.5 inches. This is possibly one of the reasons why they might draft a slot corner/big nickel with shorter arms.

Yet if you’re looking at outside corner, the Seahawks have a very consistent ‘type’. They’re adding players with at least 32 inch arms and a wingspan of 77 inches.

Surprisingly, this isn’t a great draft for cornerbacks who fit Seattle’s preference in terms of wingspan. It might be another reason why John Schneider was lukewarm about this class.

Here’s a list of most of the ‘big name’ corner’s in the draft and all of the cornerbacks with 32 inch arms and a +77 inch wingspan. Any names not included here don’t have the necessary arm length or wingspan. The cornerbacks who match each marker are highlighted in bold:

Marshon Lattimore — 31 1/4 (arms) 74 7/8 (wingspan)

Marlon Humphrey — 32 1/4 (arms) 76 1/4 (wingspan)

Tre’Davious White — 32 1/8 (arms) 75 3/4 (wingspan)

Gareon Conley — 33 (arms) 76 (wingspan)

Fabian Moreau — 31 3/8 (arms) 75 3/4 (wingspan)

Kevin King — 32 (arms) 77 7/8 (wingspan)

Jalen Tabor — 32 (arms) 76 5/8 (wingspan)

Cordrea Tankersley — 32 1/4 (arms) 76 1/4 (wingspan)

Adoree’ Jackson — 31 3/8 (arms) 74 (wingspan)

Ahkello Witherspoon — 33 (arms) 79 3/8 (wingspan)

Sidney Jones — 31.5 (arms) 71 7/8 (wingspan)

Rasul Douglas — 32 3/8 (arms) 76 7/8 (wingspan)

Shaq Griffin — 32 3/8 (arms) 74 3/4 (wingspan)

Chidobe Awuzie — 30 5/8 (arms) 74 1/8 (wingspan)

Marquez White — 32 1/8 (arms) 77 3/8 (wingspan)

Treston Decoud — 33 (arms) 77 1/4 (wingspan)

Brian Allen — 34 (arms) 78.5 (wingspan)

Michael Davis — 32 1/4 (arms) 77.5 (wingspan)

Quincy Wilson — 32 1/4 (arms) 75 7/8 (wingspan)

Only six cornerbacks in the entire class have 32 inch arms and a +77 inch wingspan.

There are some very surprising notes here:

— Despite having 33 inch arms, Gareon Conley’s wingspan is a relatively modest 76 inches — comparable to Fabian Moreau despite his much shorter arms (31 3/8 inches)

— Sidney Jones has average arm length by NFL standards (31.5 inches) but his wingspan is incredibly just 71 7/8 inches

— If wingspan is really important, Ahkello Witherspoon (79 3/8 inches) could be a key target (especially considering how well he performed overall at the combine)

— It’s not unfair to suggest they might only be interested in Kevin King and Ahkello Witherspoon early in the draft in terms of outside cornerbacks

— Despite having 32 3/8 inch arms, Shaq Griffin’s wingspan (74 3/4) is comparable to shorter cornerbacks like Adoree’ Jackson

The mediocre length on offer among the cornerbacks is even more striking when you looking at the safety class:

Malik Hooker — 32 1/4 (arms) 77 3/4 (wingspan)

Jamal Adams — 33 3/8 (arms) 75 1/2 (wingspan)

Budda Baker — 30 3/4 (arms) 71 3/4 (wingspan)

Jabrill Peppers — 30 3/4 (arms) 74 (wingspan)

Josh Jones — 32 (arms) 76 1/4 (wingspan)

Marcus Maye — 32 1/2 (arms) 77 1/4 (wingspan)

Obi Melifonwu — 32 1/2 (arms) 79 1/4 (wingspan)

Justin Evans — 32 (arms) 76 5/8 (wingspan)

Delano Hill — 32 1/8 (arms) 77.5 (wingspan)

Jadar Johnson — 32 (arms) 77 3/8 (wingspan)

Eddie Jackson — 32 1/4 (arms) 78 (wingspan)

Rayshawn Jenkins — 32 3/4 (arms) 77 3/8 (wingspan)

Josh Harvey-Clemons — 35 3/8 (arms) 82 5/8 (wingspan)

Damarius Travis — 31 3/4 (arms) 78 1/8 (wingspan)

Montae Nicholson — 33 3/8 (arms) 78 (wingspan)

Chuck Clark — 32 1/4 (arms) 77 1/8 (wingspan)

David Jones — 31 5/8 (arms) 77 3/4 (wingspan)

Shalom Luani — 32 (arms) 74.5 (wingspan)

Leon McQuay — 31 7/8 (arms) 77 1/4 (wingspan)

Cornerbacks with 32 inch arms & a 77 inch wingspan: 6

Safety’s with 32 inch arms & a 77 inch wingspan: 13

There are more than twice as many safety’s than cornerbacks in this draft with Seattle’s preferred length.

I’ve not included every safety in the draft here — but those who aren’t listed above don’t have 32 inch arms or a +77 inch wingspan.

This might be one of the reasons why teams are seriously considering moving Obi Melifonwu to cornerback. Not only does he have the speed and agility to work outside, he also has supreme length.

If the Seahawks are tied to a wingspan number (77 inches) as they appear to be with arm length (32 inches), the options are relatively limited in this draft at outside corner.

If Kevin King is off the board at #26 or they see Melifonwu as a corner, they might focus on the nickel ‘fifth DB’ position unless they’re really high on Ahkello Witherspoon and want to take him with their first pick.

It’s arguably further evidence that a ‘slot’ pick (big nickel or cornerback) could be the choice if they take a defensive back early.