One more week to the 2019 NFL Draft, which means it’s time for the penultimate mock draft.

This projection is based on what I believe the Lions will do in next week’s draft. The guesses are based on extensive conversations with sources inside Allen Park as well as conversations with others around the league and media. Keep in mind there are always surprises, which is why the draft is so much fun!

First round: Montez Sweat, EDGE, Mississippi State

Nothing I’ve seen nor heard since I wrote the “if I had money to bet I’d put it on Sweat” blurb has led me to change my opinion. Sweat plays a position of major need, has off-the-charts athletic upside and was productive in multiple seasons in the best collegiate conference. Those are all apparent requisite benchmarks for Quinn’s first-round choices. All of them have had just enough questions about their ability to carry chips on their shoulders, too. Sweat definitely carries that chip.

Would he be my personal choice? Probably not. But that’s not what this mock draft is all about. It’s about what I expect the Lions to do. If you don’t think Sweat is a good or viable choice, prepare yourself now for disappointment next week.

If Kentucky EDGE Josh Allen is on the board, I do believe he’d be the selection over Sweat. I’d like to think that’s true of Houston DL Ed Oliver but that picture is not clear.

If Sweat is gone when the Lions pick — and he could be — I would expect either Alabama OL Jonah Williams or Iowa TE T.J. Hockenson. As I tweeted earlier this week, everything I’ve been told indicates the team is not seriously interested in Florida State EDGE Brian Burns, not at No. 8 anyway.

Second round: David Long, CB, Michigan

I base this pick some on a conversation I had with a trusted Lions source back in February, the same one which convinced me the team had no real interest in LSU CB Greedy Williams. Long is the best answer in this draft class to the question, “what cornerback would you pair with a playmaker like Darius Slay?”

The fundamental answer: put a strong, smart cover man who doesn’t make mistakes and force the teams to throw at Slay. That’s Long.

Long was such a blanket in coverage for Michigan that opposing teams didn’t even attempt to target his receiver. That happened in the Maryland game, a contest I attended and saw with my own eyes how impeccably savvy Long is on an island in man coverage. It’s like he knew the plays, a la the Jets vs. Jim Bob Cooter in Week 1 last year. I believe the Lions scouting department will see the same thing.

Third round: Josh Oliver, TE, San Jose State

Not a player who has generated a lot of interest in the media, but a player the Lions know well from scouting him in person at least twice (once vs. UC Davis to also check out WR Keelan Doss) and meeting with him at the scouting combine.

Oliver dealt with abysmal QB play and a poor supporting environment at San Jose State, a program with two FBS-level wins in two years. He still managed to impress with both his strong hands and blocking effort. Oliver might be the best receiving TE in this class once the ball is in the air.

Predicting Day 3 picks is sort of like trying to identify AC/DC songs from just the drumming tracks: throwing out names that it might be and hoping to get lucky that “Thunderstruck” comes on the playlist more than once.

Fourth round: Lamont Gaillard, C/G, Georgia

Fifth round: Wyatt Ray, EDGE, Boston College

Sixth round: Darius Harris, LB, Middle Tennessee State

Sixth round: Stanley Morgan, WR, Nebraska

Seventh round: Cody Thompson, WR, Toledo

Seventh round: Marcus McMaryion, QB, Fresno State