fter the WTF retirements of Ali Marpet AND JC Tretter.Chiefs 1 -- Nashville Golden Mules

This was a fun draft, due to trades. The Mules are a strong overall roster, lacking a great QB. We went into the draft needed to upgrade the interior OL after the WTF retirements of Ali Marpet AND JC Tretter.

R1a (traded Davante Adams) -- Chris Olave WR. Obviously it wasn't reasonable to expect Olave to match Adams production. But I wanted to avoid a big FA contract for an over 30 receiver. This is a long play and Olave delivered with 1042 yards in his rookie campaign. He'll be in the starting WR group.

R1b (traded Braden Smith) --Trent McDuffie CB. I had real depth at OT in 2021, so I traded Braden for a 2022 first round pick. No loss in talent for the the Mules in trading Smith. McDuffie had injury issues in early 2022, but came on strong as a shut down corner for the Chiefs. He'll be a long term starter for the Mules from day one.

R1c (natural pick for the Mules) -- Zion Johnson G. I needed a sure thing on the OL and Zion was the ticket. He played every snap for the Chargers. Fatties only get better as they age. But he'll be a development player for the Mules in 2022, thanks to some good FA pickups.

R2 -- Cam Jurgens. I bet on Cam as the future C for the Mules. The lesser Kelce held the starting position down for the Eagles, but eventually Cam will be the man. In the mean time, I needed to pick up Corey Linsey in FA, so the the jury is still out on Cam.

R3 -- Dameon Pierce HB. He rushed for 939 yards in 13 games before he missed the rest of the season with a high ankle sprain. Should come back strong in 2023. The Mules needed a new HB, and Dameon was the answer.

R4 -- DeMarvin Leal LB. Leal was supposed to be a developmental player for a long tern replacement for aging edge players. Not sure he is going to pan out, and not clear if he will make the final roster for the Mules.

R5 -- Zach Tom T. Tom filled in on the OL for the Packers and did reasonably well. This is a player with upside, that has a future with the Mules.

R6 -- Kyren Williams HB. Racked up 139 in 35 carries and 76 air yards on 9 receptions in spot duty. He'll need to up his game to stick on the Mules roster after 2022. He'll be the third option at HB this year, but will see some snaps when Pierce is injured.

R7 -- Nick Zakelj G. Didn't see much action in 2022. Strictly a development player for a deep OL for the Mules.

Summing it all up, three immediate starters, two projected future starters, one good rotational back up, and three players that need to prove something to have a future. I like Olave and McDuffie as future stars. But figuring in the trades of Adams and B. Smith, I give this draft a B.