Analysis: Seahawks Break 'Threshold' Mold Selecting Oklahoma CB Tre Brown

During their first 11 drafts with the Seahawks, general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll had never picked a cornerback before the third round and had never selected a player with under 32-inch arm length.

While one of those trends continued into his 12th draft, by selecting Oklahoma cornerback Tre Brown with the 137th overall pick in the fourth round, Schneider and Carroll discarded past preferences in terms of arm length, showing a potential shift in how the duo evaluates the position.

Despite being 5-foot-9 and weighing 185 pounds with 29 7/8-inch arms, Brown plays what NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah astutely called "feisty" football in coverage. He's a high-effort, high-motor defender who plays bigger than his weight and won't back down from a fight pressing receivers on the outside or in the slot. He loves to get his hands into opponents and make life difficult on releases at the line of scrimmage.

Seahawks newest CB Tre Brown: Lowest passer rating allowed in single coverage in the 2021 Draft class (26.9) pic.twitter.com/souqV43YeB
— PFF College (@PFF_College) May 1, 2021

As a run defender, Brown shows no fear coming up to make a play either. While he has had a few issues with wrapping up ball carriers at times, he has the right mindset and racked up 141 tackles in his collegiate career, including several clutch tackles that helped seal big wins for the Sooners.

Brown also possesses intriguing athletic traits, as he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds and put his explosiveness on full display with a 38-inch vertical jump. While his 3-cone and short shuttle times weren't elite, he exhibits excellent short-area quickness and twitch on film.

As far as areas of potential concern for Brown at the next level, his lack of height and arm length did pose some issues at Oklahoma against top-flight competition. Bigger receivers were able to consistently win jump balls against him downfield and his aggressiveness sometimes comes back to bite him, as he received 14 holding/pass interference penalties during four seasons in Norman.

Looking at Brown's potential fit in Seattle, it's clear D.J. Reed's success on the outside has altered the team's philosophy in regard to the types of players they may look for to play on the outside. Change of direction skills and short-area quickness may be valued more than arm length, opening the door for him to vie for playing time against Ahkello Witherspoon, Reed, and Tre Flowers.

With that said, Brown's best position may still be in the slot, where he would compete against Ugo Amadi and Marquise Blair. He's also known as a superb special teams player and was widely viewed as one of the best punt coverage "gunners" in college football, which may have played a key role in selecting him in the fourth round. At minimum, he will be an immediate contributor in that aspect while the Seahawks figure out his best position defensively.