Seattle Seahawks' Last-Minute 7-Round Mock Draft and Top-100 Big Board

The day has finally arrived—we've made it to the 2016 NFL draft.

It's well known that the Seattle Seahawks have legitimate deficiencies along the offensive line. It's also well known that the Seahawks haven't used a first-round selection since 2012, and there's a good chance the team will once again trade out of the first round Thursday night.

Still, with nine total picks in the draft, it would seem logical for the Seahawks to use their No. 26 overall pick to bolster the trenches—on the offensive or defensive side of the ball. 

Let's take another look at all nine choices the Seahawks have at their disposal entering Day 1 of the draft:

• Round 1, pick No. 26
• Round 2, pick No. 56
• Round 3, pick Nos. 91 and 97
• Round 4, pick 124
• Round 5, pick 171
• Round 6, pick 215
• Round 7, pick Nos. 225 and 247

The team certainly doesn't need to acquire any more picks by trading down, but that's never stopped Seahawks general manager John Schneider before. Seattle is notorious for its mysterious draft strategies, and every pick in the following mock could well be wrong.

But the silliness of the NFL offseason says that we're going to try—again—anyway. 

Top-100 Big Board

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Alabama's Ryan Kelly is the draft's best center prospect and will likely be high on the Seahawks' draft board.

The following list is an educated guess at which players the Seahawks see as the draft's 100 best. 

It's obviously anything but scientific. But it isn't a complete shot in the dark, either—we can piece together a theoretical big board based on the team's current needs and wants. 

Big Board

Rank	Player	Position	School
1	Laremy Tunsil	OT	Ole Miss
2	DeForest Buckner	DE	Oregon
3	Jalen Ramsey	FS	Florida State
4	Ronnie Stanley	OT	Notre Dame
5	Joey Bosa	DE	Ohio State
6	Shaq Lawson	DE	Clemson
7	Jack Conklin	OT	Michigan State
8	Myles Jack	OLB	UCLA
9	Sheldon Rankins	DT	Louisville
10	Darron Lee	OLB	Ohio State
11	Leonard Floyd	OLB	Georgia
12	Vernon Hargreaves	CB	Florida
13	Taylor Decker	OT	Ohio State
14	Ryan Kelly	C	Alabama
15	Jason Spriggs	OT	Indiana
16	A'Shawn Robinson	DT	Alabama
17	Eli Apple	CB	Ohio State
18	Jarran Reed	DT	Alabama
19	Noah Spence	DE	Eastern Kentucky
20	Reggie Ragland	ILB	Alabama
21	Ezekiel Elliot	RB	Ohio State
22	Vernon Butler	DT	Louisiana Tech
23	Kevin Dodd	DE	Clemson
24	Kenny Clark	DT	UCLA
25	William Jackson III	CB	Houston
26	Jonathan Bullard	DE	Florida
27	Kamalei Correa	OLB	Boise State
28	Cody Whitehair	OG	Kansas State
29	Emmanuel Ogbah	DE	Oklahoma State
30	Derrick Henry	RB	Alabama
31	Chris Jones	DT	Mississippi State
32	Germain Ifedi	OT	Texas A&M
33	Su'a Cravens	OLB	Southern California
34	Joshua Garnett	OG	Stanford
35	Mackensie Alexander	CB	Clemson
36	Shilique Calhoun	DE	Michigan State
37	Vonn Bell	SS	Ohio State
38	Corey Coleman	WR	Baylor
39	Keanu Neal	SS	Florida
40	Andrew Billings	DT	Baylor
41	Josh Doctson	WR	Texas Christian
42	Karl Joseph	SS	West Virginia
43	Le'Raven Clark	OT	Texas Tech
44	Kendall Fuller	CB	Virginia Tech
45	Robert Nkemdiche	DT	Ole Miss
46	Deion Jones	OLB	LSU
47	Austin Johnson	DT	Penn State
48	Shon Coleman	OT	Auburn
49	Sean Davis	CB	Maryland
50	Devontae Booker	RB	Utah
51	T.J. Green	FS	Clemson
52	Christian Westerman	OG	Arizona State
53	Kentrell Brothers	ILB	Missouri
54	Nick Martin	C	Notre Dame
55	Darian Thompson	FS	Boise State
56	Sterling Shepard	WR	Oklahoma
57	Kyler Fackrell	OLB	Utah State
58	Bronson Kaufusi	DE	Brigham Young
59	Artie Burns	CB	Miami (Florida)
60	C.J. Prosise	RB	Notre Dame
61	Joe Dahl	OG	Washington State
62	Tyler Higbee	TE	Western Kentucky
63	Pharoh Cooper	WR	South Carolina
64	Javon Hargrave	DT	South Carolina State
65	Max Tuerk	C	Southern California
66	Jerald Hawkins	OT	LSU
67	Kenneth Dixon	RB	Louisiana Tech
68	Xavien Howard	CB	Baylor
69	Jordan Howard	RB	Indiana
70	Carl Nassib	DE	Penn State
71	Connor McGovern	OG	Missouri
72	Maliek Collins	DT	Nebraska
73	Jordan Jenkins	OLB	Georgia
74	Caleb Benenoch	OT	UCLA
75	Kenyan Drake	RB	Alabama
76	Deiondre' Hall	FS	Northern Iowa
77	Kolby Listenbee	WR	Texas Christian
78	Jaylon Smith	OLB	Notre Dame
79	Charles Tapper	DE	Oklahoma
80	Willie Beavers	OT	Western Michigan
81	Sheldon Day	DT	Notre Dame
82	Jalen Mills	CB	LSU
83	Paul Perkins	RB	UCLA
84	KeiVarae Russell	CB	Notre Dame
85	Will Redmond	CB	Mississippi State
86	Miles Killebrew	SS	Southern Utah
87	Tyler Matakevich	ILB	Temple
88	Vadal Alexander	OG	LSU
89	Kyle Murphy	OT	Stanford
90	Scooby Wright II	ILB	Arizona
91	Joe Schobert	OLB	Wisconsin
92	Alex Lewis	OT	Nebraska
93	Adolphus Washington	DT	Ohio State
94	Graham Glasgow	OG	Michigan
95	Evan Boehm	C	Missouri
96	John Theus	OT	Georgia
97	Sebastian Tretola	OG	Arkansas
98	David Morgan III	TE	Texas-San Antonio
99	Jeremy Cash	SS	Duke
100	Dak Prescott	QB	Mississippi State

Round 1

Round 1, Pick 26: Taylor Decker, Offensive Tackle, Ohio State

As is widely expected, the Seahawks choose to improve their offensive line in the first round. The team takes an absolute mauler in Ohio State's Taylor Decker.

At 6'7", 310 pounds, Decker is ready to seal the edge—whether it be on the left or right side—of Seattle's offensive line. As you can see in the highlight reel above, he not only punishes defenders in run blocking but also shows decent ability sliding out in pass protection. 

There's no doubt he's a bit clunky in pass protection, but Decker's presence in the running game outweighs it. And he can refine those pass-protection skills under Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable. It's a risk, of course, but if Decker learns quickly, he could become a serious impact player early in his career. 

Decker displays a nasty streak in his game tape when blocking downhill, which will be enticing to Cable. And, despite quarterback Russell Wilson's historic passing performance last season, the Seahawks are still a run-first team.

Adding Decker helps patch the wall that Thomas Rawls will be running behind next season, and the rookie's long-term improvement will likely be steady under Coach Cable's teaching. Decker's durability is an added bonus, as he started in all 15 games at left tackle when Ohio State made a national championship run in 2014.

Having Decker fall to No. 26 overall might be wishful thinking—he is widely considered a top-five tackle prospect in this draft. But anything can happen on draft day, and if he does fall to Seattle Thursday night, the team would have a cornerstone offensive tackle on its roster for years to come.

Round 2

Round 2, Pick 56: Kamalei Correa, Outside Linebacker, Boise State

Correa has been the projected second-round pick for Seattle in both of our mock drafts so far, and we're sticking with him again here.

This selection just makes too much sense for the Seahawks, who are looking for a long-term replacement for the departed Bruce Irvin.

Correa is a quick-twitch athlete, which is one of his best qualities. You can see his quickness off the line of scrimmage in the above highlight tape, as he beats his assignment more than a couple of times. Also, Correa is stronger than he looks; he doesn't often get pushed around by offensive linemen much bigger than him.

His versatility lends itself to becoming Irvin's replacement. Correa is willing and able to drop back into coverage as well as get after the quarterback, which is valued in Seattle's hybrid 4-3 base defense.

The 6'3", 243-pound Boise State product is still rather raw and unrefined, especially as a pass-rusher. But Seattle is one of the best-coached teams in the league, and the Seahawks can mold Correa into whatever they need him to be because of his versatile skill set.

Here's a potential Seahawks shocker: The team trades one of its two third-round picks to trade up, not down, in the second round to nab Correa. 

Round 3

Round 3, Pick 91: Charles Tapper, Defensive End, Oklahoma

The Seahawks continue fortifying their defense in the third round, this time taking 6'3", 271-pound Charles Tapper out of Oklahoma.

Tapper is an all-around solid prospect. As you can see in the highlight reel above, he isn't always the strongest pass-rusher and seems to lack a signature move. But his hustle and pursuit are impressive, and Tapper has deceptive top-end speed for a man his size. 

Another underrated part of Tapper's game is his knack for swatting down passes. He got his 11 ½-inch hands on three passes last season, including one in the Orange Bowl. 

Versatility is key in Seattle's defensive front, and Tapper provides it. He is a good enough athlete to be effective at defensive end or tackle, which fits the Seahawks defense. 

Round 3, Pick 97: Vadal Alexander, Offensive Guard, LSU

Seattle finds good value here in picking LSU's Vadal Alexander, who played right tackle his senior season but projects better as a guard in the NFL.

Alexander is a road-grader in the run game, much of which can be attributed to his 6'5", 326-pound frame. One of his better qualities is effectively taking on linebackers in second-level blocking, which is harder to come by than you might think. It speaks to Alexander's bully mentality, which will be a hit with O-line coach Tom Cable. 

A four-year starter at LSU, Alexander is a tough football player. With him and first-round selection Taylor Decker, Seattle's offensive line begins to once again take on the mean mentality that got the Seahawks to back-to-back Super Bowls.   

Round 4

Round 4, Pick 124: Kenyan Drake, Running Back, Alabama

As with Correa, Alabama's Kenyan Drake has been a resident in our recent mock drafts, living in the fourth round. There isn't any reason to change that.

Drake is a perfect complement to incumbent starter Thomas Rawls. Drake has decent hands out of the backfield and can even line up at slot receiver if necessary. While Rawls thrives in downhill running situations, Drake is the quick-twitch back who bounces around the outside and burns teams on a regular basis.

Oh, and there's the fact that Drake has excellent special teams ability, as evidenced by his 95-yard kickoff return score in the CFP National Championship Game. Adding Drake would give Tyler Lockett somewhat of a break on kickoff returns, protecting the team's young breakout receiver. 

This pick injects Seattle with an extra burst of speed on both offense and special teams, making the Seahawks even more dangerous in both areas. 

Round 5

Round 5, Pick 171: K.J. Dillon, Strong Safety, West Virginia

This pick is the result of Seattle's love for physical defensive backs.

K.J. Dillon plays a tough brand of football, and seems to play more physical than his 6'0", 210-pound frame would suggest. As the above highlight video demonstrates, Dillon has good awareness of where the ball is when it's in the air, as he makes an excellent play to break up a pass in the video's first sequence.

Although he doesn't always impose himself on receivers in press coverage, Dillon shows that he isn't afraid to line up at the line of scrimmage—a valuable trait for a safety.

"It is almost like having another cornerback on the field," wrote Bo Marchionte in Dillon's CBS Sports draft profile. 

A safety who can line up in press coverage and act as a corner when needed—and plays with attitude—sounds like an awfully familiar pick for the Pete Carroll Seahawks. We'll leave it at that. 

Round 6

Round 6, Pick 215: Austin Blythe, Center, Iowa

Sticking to their roots, the Schneider-Carroll Seahawks steal a sneaky-good football player in the sixth round of the draft, landing Iowa's Austin Blythe. 

Some might say Blythe is "small" for an offensive lineman, but the truth is that his 6'2", 291-pound build is ideal for playing center, which is the position he best translates to in the NFL despite showing some versatility throughout his collegiate career. 

Watch the above highlight reel and notice how he doesn't often get overpowered and how he smartly picks which defenders should receive double-team blocks. Blythe, at least on tape, comes across as a heads-up player with good instincts for the center position. 

According to his CBS Sports draft profile, Blythe is a three-time state wrestling champion. That skill set and experience should mean he will win leverage battles in NFL trenches more often than not. 

Round 7

Round 7, Pick 225: Ian Seau, Outside Linebacker, Nevada

In today's NFL, you can't have enough pass-rushers, which is why the Seahawks grab Nevada's Ian Seau in the seventh round. 

The nephew of former NFL star Junior Seau, Ian shows substantial explosion off the line of scrimmage en route to chasing down opposing quarterbacks. 

Seau's tape exposes him as a bit of a single-trick player who relies on his short-range speed to whip around the outside of offensive tackles. He doesn't seem to be an instinctive defender, and he visibly struggles in run defense.

It's OK, though—Seattle is comfortable with spending one of its two seventh-round picks on a player who can likely step in immediately as a rotational edge-rusher, lining up along a talented but aging Seahawks defensive line.

Round 7, Pick 247: Pearce Slater, Offensive Tackle, San Diego State

A lack of depth along the offensive line was a back-breaker for the Seahawks last season, so the team reinforces its front five with its final pick, taking San Diego State's Pearce Slater. 

Slater is massive, measuring in at 6'7" and 333 pounds. As you'd expect from a player his size, he can be effective as a run-blocker. It's worth noting that he started all 27 games at San Diego State, mostly playing at right tackle. 

Agility is hard to find in 6'7" linemen, but Slater has it. After punishing his first assignment, he will—rather surprisingly—slip into the second level and take on linebackers and safeties. Slater is a dependable lineman with humble beginnings, as he transferred to San Diego State in 2014 from community college. 

Also worth noting is that Seattle has taken a San Diego State player in each of the last two drafts in offensive lineman Terry Poole (Round 4, 2015) and linebacker/defensive back Eric Pinkins (Round 6, 2014).

Agree? Disagree? Let your voice be heard in the comments section below, or Tweet to Ethan @ebai_today.