Mel Kiper's Big Board: Best players available on Day 3 for the Seahawks

100 players have been taken in the first three rounds of the NFL draft. How many of Mel Kiper's top 150 picks remain as solid choices for the Seattle Seahawks? We're about to find out, dear 12s.

Day 2 didn't see a lot of action for the Seahawks. Okay, maybe you'd call drafting a foundational player a nice bit of action. Christian Haynes is that guy at guard, almost as much as Byron Murphy II is on the other side of the ball. But no matter how good the Hawks' first two selections were - and I'd say they were exceptionally good - Seattle still has to address several needs.

Thankfully, Seattle has five draft picks left on Saturday. That's assuming that John Schneider doesn't do the unthinkable and forego making at least one trade on draft weekend. Maybe Pete Carroll egged him on all those years, dared him to make a crazy trade or nine, just to see if he could do it. For now, Schneider's in a great spot, as he has the second pick on the final day, plus the 18th overall. So who's left on Kiper's Big Board?

Seattle Seahawks can still get several players Mel Kiper highlighted

Only two players that Kiper saw as first-rounders slipped into Day 2. Both Cooper DeJean and Edgerrin Cooper were taken before the league got halfway through the second round. Who knew there was some unspoken prejudice against Coopers? Both had been frequent flyers on Seahawks mock drafts, had they actually traded up to the second round.

Let's look specifically at the Seahawks' needs. They still need another guard - well, probably - and need help at linebacker and safety. Let's hear it from the man himself, Mel Kiper Jr. He listed these five players from his pre-draft ranking as the best still available as the final day of the draft begins:

Jaden Hicks is the first name that pops out for the Seahawks

The Washington State redshirt sophomore has the prototypical size for an NFL safety, at 6'2" and 211 lbs. The consensus big board on nflmockdratdatabase.com, Pro Football Focus (subscription required), and the NFL's own draft profile site all rank him as the third-best safety in the draft. PFF rated him as the 54th prospect overall, with the other two not far behind. Maybe the phrase "redshirt sophomore" scared some teams away. He'd be a solid pick for the Hawks at number 102.

Mohamed Kamara may be listed as an outside linebacker, but he's an edge pass rusher

The consensus big board ranked him as the 100th overall prospect, while PFF places him at 139. At 6'1" and 248 lbs. he may seem a bit undersized for the role, but that certainly didn't hurt his production at Colorado State. He had 16 tackles for a loss and 8.5 sacks in 2022. He followed that with 17 TFL and 13 sacks in his senior year. Edge may not be a position of immediate need for the Hawks, but Kamara can bring it.

Ja'Tavion Sanders really flew under the radar

Virtually every draft site ranked him as the second-best tight end in this draft. That's the Brock Bowers effect at work, no doubt. The 6'4" 248 lb junior Texas Longhorn was ranked as a second-round pick everywhere, yet here he is, waiting to hear his name called on Day 3. He's a decent blocker and an exceptionally reliable receiver (zero drops in 67 targets). Seattle has two tight ends, sure, but Noah Fant is on a two-year contract and Pharaoh Brown is on a one-year deal.

As for linebackers, both Cedric Gray (Kiper's #94) and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (Kiper's #108) are still available

Both were ranked within the top 100 on the consensus big board, with PFF ranking Gray significantly behind Trotter. Trotter is the better of the two in coverage, but he's also smaller. Either would fit Mike Macdonald's scheme, but my money is on the Clemson Junior. His father, Jeremiah Trotter was a four-time Pro Bowl linebacker, so he probably taught his kid a few tricks, am I right?

Both Mason McCormick (86) and Christian Mahogany (113) are still on the board at guard

Both are ranked right around the 100 mark in virtually all other draft sites. PFF ranks them as the third and fourth-best guard prospects in the draft. Yes, they ranked Christian Haynes as the best pure guard. McCormick played at left guard, while Mahogany lined up on the other side. Take your pick, 12s. Rest assured, the Seahawks almost certainly will.

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