PUEBLO, Colo. – With the PBR Camping World Team Series recently expanding from eight to 10 teams, as the league announced both the New York Mavericks and Oklahoma Wildcatters would join the 5-on-5 competition format in 2024, each of the 10 organizations have spent the past few months analyzing their rosters, identifying their goals and preparing for the third season of camaraderie-driven action.
RELATED: PBR Teams announces Expansion Draft-eligible riders ahead of 2024 Camping World Team Series season
With growth and expansion comes growing pains and new, unique circumstances:
Regular-season bye weeks, a revised postseason gauntlet and well … two more teams who will look to secure the largest gold buckle in sports should only amplify the already-electric setup.
But there’s been one large speed bump in the way of front offices being able to project their official 2024 lineups.
Enter the 2024 PBR Teams Expansion Draft, which is set to take place April 10 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, as Wildcatters Head Coach J.B. Mauney and company prepared to go head-to-head with Kody Lostroh and his Mavericks group during the talent-leaching opportunity.
With both teams able to select up to six riders in total throughout the draft, the pair of newly welcomed skips have been digging deep in determining which riders they’d like to draft.
RELATED: J.B. Mauney, Kody Lostroh asking the tough questions ahead of 2024 Expansion Draft
For the eight inaugural PBR Teams squads, including the Austin Gamblers, Arizona Ridge Riders, Carolina Cowboys, Florida Freedom (Formerly the Oklahoma Freedom), Kansas City Outlaws, Missouri Thunder, Nashville Stampede (2022 PBR Teams Champions) and Texas Rattlers (2023 PBR Team Champions), the offseason has largely revolved around the idea that each squad was able to protect three riders from the draft, thus making them ineligible to being selected.
Prior to teams designating their protected riders, team general managers and the league office collectively voted to decide the Top 4-ranked riders on all eight of the existing squads. Each of the squads’ Top 4 riders were then assigned an Expansion Draft value (with the No. 1 rider valued at 24 lottery balls, No. 2 rider at 12 balls, No. 3 rider at 6 balls and No. 4 rider at 1 ball) as each ball represents an opportunity to select first overall in the 2024 New Rider Draft.
While teams won’t be able to do much once/if a player on their team is selected, they will receive the corresponding amount of additional New Rider Draft picks should/when their athlete(s) are selected. For instance, with the Arizona Ridge Riders acknowledging that Luciano De Castro was their team’s most talented rider, albeit still leaving the veteran unprotected, Arizona would receive an additional 24 lottery balls with their logo on them ahead of this year’s rookie-welcoming event.
For a team like the Carolina Cowboys, who left No. 2 overall selection in the 2023 New Rider Draft Josh Frost unprotected (just one season after allocating assets in order to acquire the very pick they used to select Frost), Jerome Davis and company will merely receive one extra ball, as the squad protected each of its Top 3 riders in Daylon Swearingen, Cooper Davis and Sage Steele Kimzey.
Teams have taken various different paths in choosing which riders to protect while potentially looking to fish up some extra luck for this year’s 2024 New Rider Draft. With enticing first-year talents like John Crimber, Clay Guiton, Marco Rizzo and beyond available, there’s no doubt plenty of exciting youth available. But with plenty of proven guys like Kaique Pacheco, Castro, Wingson Henrique da Silva available to be selected, there’s no doubt both New York and Oklahoma will be competitive off the rip. If they choose to be, that is!
While Mauney, Lostroh and friends have plenty to weigh in selecting up to six riders to exemplify their inaugural team rosters, they won’t have to worry about rider values (as it pertains to lottery balls) by any means, as they have nothing to lose, already sitting atop the current lottery ball standings.
So with some of those star-studded, World Champion-caliber names available, we’d be surprised if the new teams don’t embrace some of those veterans early and often. Both of the year-one teams will continue to welcome new rookies each season, but a chance to roster an established World Champion or two won’t come around very often.
They’re simply allowed to create the best (or youngest, or most experienced, or really any combination of the sorts) roster possible.
Whatever direction both the Mavericks and Wildcatters go, they’d be wise to put together a successful opening season product, as the set of teams are set to host early-season homestands as they introduce the brands in their respective markets (with Wildcatter Days set to invade Paycom Center July 12-14 during the season-opener and Maverick Days preparing to debut inside Barclays Center Aug. 9-10).
Which begs the question … Who should these teams be drafting???
It depends who you ask, of course.
And while we’ll leave the official selections up to a trio of world champions in Mauney, Lostroh and Ednei Caminhas, who was recently announced as the Mavericks’ assistant coach, we couldn’t help but take a stab at who WE would be selecting for a new PBR Teams squad!
Fans can stay tuned to PBR.com in the coming weeks for a PBR.com projected mock draft, which will include all 12 selections for the 2024 Expansion Draft.
In the meantime, we’ll break down our top current selection from each of the eight teams!
Available Arizona Ridge Riders: Luciano De Castro, Vitor Losnake, Keyshawn Whitehorse, Chase Dougherty
Easily one of the toughest decisions in this exercise, both Castro and Keyshawn Whitehorse stand out as potential pillars to build franchises around and are likely both to be considered at some point in next month’s Expansion Draft.
But for the sake of selecting just one, we’ll opt into welcoming Whitehorse to the squad. Is there some recency bias baked in there after seeing the talented 26-year-old exit his most recent short round showdowns in the ride column? Sure. But then again, he was going head-to-head with one of the nastiest bulls on tour in Dana White’s Twisted Steel, a bull who not many have ridden but everyone is dying to get on!
Riding himself right into the No. 15 spot after some bumps in the road earlier this year, Whitehorse is now 10-for-20 on Unleash The Beast since returning from his short trip down to the Pendleton Whisky Velocity tour (PWVT), which has only served as motivation for the McCracken Spring, Utah, native. Willing to take the hardest bull in the pen, one of the hardest working riders on tour and sporting one of the biggest smiles in the business, whichever team starts the season up with Whitehorse on their side is going to be getting a leg-up in year three, no doubt.
The case for Castro is one that would play into a very win-now approach, as the 27-year-old isn’t getting any younger. Typically sitting within the tour’s Top 15 or so, Castro currently sits at the No. 35 spot, just 7-for-27 (25.93%) on the premier series this season, albeit competing in just 11 events. Battling some early-season injuries, Castro has shown some flashes here and there, but hasn’t scored above 87.25 points in 2024. That said, scores in the mid-80s are extremely welcome in the 5-on-5 format, as the team with the top overall combined score wins, and 80-some points beat a no-score 10 out of 10 times. A reliable, team-friendly presence, it wouldn’t surprise us if Castro found himself rocking colors other than black and white this summer.
Available Austin Gamblers Riders: Austin Richardson, Rafael dos Santos, Ramon de Lima, Lucas Divino, Ezekiel Mitchell
Depending on how competitive of an overall roster the Mavericks and Wildcatters are looking to build in year one, there are a variety of ways teams can approach the two-time PBR Teams regular season champions in the Gamblers. With the squad opting to protect surging youngster Cort McFadden alongside its pair of pocket aces in Jose Vitor Leme and Dalton Kasel, Austin still arguably has some of the most talent, top to bottom, available to be selected in the Expansion Draft. Which means they’ll both be set to make another run in 2024 despite which rider(s) are selected and potentially even get some extra picks in the draft, as Austin Richardson was voted the team’s third-ranked rider, thus the team will be awarded six lottery balls if Richardson (currently ranked No. 5 in the Unleash The Beast World Championship standings) is selected.
Which brings us to our suggested selection in Richardson, as the Dallas, Texas, native has proven he’s taken his riding to the next level, ever-apparent throughout his shortened UTB showcase. Continuing to rank within the tour’s Top 5 despite not competing since getting banged up more than two months ago (with his last out coming on Jan. 20), Richardson stormed into the premier series slate and never looked back. A whopping 12-for-22 throughout the five events he participated in, Richardson secured a pair of consecutive wins in Albany, New York, and New York City, New York, en route to becoming the world’s top-ranked rider.
While we aren’t too certain on exactly when Richardson will be healed up and ready to go, he will undoubtedly be a very worth asset and talented rider wherever he ends up.
Available Carolina Cowboys Riders: Josh Frost, Tate Pollmeier, Derek Kolbaba, Arthur Antonialle
Looking at Carolina’s pool of unprotected personnel, Josh Frost is the biggest name on the board, which is a bit shocking considering he was selected second overall during last year’s 2023 New Rider Draft. But with the cowboy spending a majority of his non-PBR Teams season chasing the rodeo circuit, combined with the fact that he was a bit banged up last season, just 6-for-15 on the summer, and it’s not much of a surprise that Frost has been relegated to available territory. Not to mention the team has a trio of World Champions protected and ready to go in year three.
If Frost isn’t the first off the board from the Austin Dillon-guided team, then both Tate Pollmeier and Derek Kolbaba could likely be amongst those considered. Unfortunately for the duo of competitors, they are both continuing to recover from respective long-term injuries, as Kolbaba got banged up riding with the Freedom last summer (and hasn’t competed since), while Pollmeier recently was air-lifted to a local hospital after getting roughed up during a rodeo out. Pending either of the athletes’ timelines, there’s a chance they won’t be riding for the checkered flag contingent.
Available Florida Freedom Riders: Casey Roberts, Alex Cerqueira, Joao Lucas Campos, Conner Halverson
Plenty of talent but no real “all-stars” available, this could be one of the eight founding teams who may not lose more than one rider. But if teams are going to invest in the red, white and blue riders, one would think it’s Alex Cerqueira who gets the call, as the veteran has turned things up a notch over the past year plus.
While he was just 6-for-23 overall for the Freedom last season, he was regularly providing some huge, game-winning rides when he was converting. Currently ranked No. 19 within the UTB standings, he’s 12-for 38 throughout the 2024 premier series season, with a pair of podium finishes earned in Salt Lake City, Utah, (second) and earlier this season in Chicago (third).
Selecting Cerqueira at 30 years of age means the team would either be looking to him as a veteran presence in the locker room and to help connect with any other potential Brazilian talents on the squad while loading up the roster with capable men who want to win now. Mauney recently shared that he’s looking for positive, gritty guys. And if you ask us, that’s Cerqueira to a T.
Available Kansas City Outlaws Riders: Wingson Henrique da Silva, Sandro Batista, Leonardo Castro, Bob Mitchell, Marcus Mast
Whether you’re looking for a sure-fire No. 1 guy in Wingson Henrique da Silva or a little bit more flexibility and a bit of a project piece (with plenty of upside) in UTB rookie Leonardo Castro, coaches are likely going to be deciding the pair of skilled Brazilians who currently rock the orange and black for J.W. Hart and Guilherme Marchi.
Finishing No. 4 overall during last year’s premier series slate, Silva has been one of the most prevalent riders on the 5-on-5 series the past two seasons. Maybe it’s his lengthy frame, maybe it’s the consistent scores, but whatever it is, he’ll likely be taking his talents to another team in 2024 thanks to conversions like this one:
Four years older than Castro, albeit much more decorated and accomplished within the industry, either of the new coaches would feel confident with the tall talent leading off the charge for them come July. Up to the No. 16 spot as things sit within the current UTB landscape, he’s just two spots behind the trending 20-year-old, who has just as good of odds at being selected.
Just 8-for-16 on the season (having competed in just six events so far), Castro has put his skills on display throughout his rookie premier series season, now one of six first-year talents ranked within UTB’s Top 15 heading into the final stretch. Riding at least one bull in five of his six events attended, the rest of his finished pale in comparison to when the youngster ripped off the first 4-for-4 performance of the season en route to capturing the second PBR Major title of the season.
He’s got the skills to pay the bills. But he may be contributing to win totals for someone other than the “Iron Man” this time around. Personally, we could see the Mavericks taking him as high as No. 2 overall next month!
Available Missouri Thunder Riders: Briggs Madsen, Paulo Rossetto, Eduardo Matos, Trace Redd
Nothing against any of Briggs Madsen, Eduardo Matos or Trace Redd, but Paulo Rossetto is the only cowboy of the team’s four unprotected riders who’s regularly been featured on Unleash The Beast this season, meaning he’s been the hottest of the group this winter. Now 12-for-41, having attended each and every one of the premier series’ first 17 events, the tour’s No. 30-ranked rider hasn’t done anything too special this season (with a fourth-place finish during the season-opener in Tucson, Arizona, marking his best finish so far). But the fact that he’s managed to stay above the cutline for the entire season is quite impressive in itself, as that means he’s riding bulls quite regularly.
Available Nashville Stampede Riders: Kaique Pacheco, Silvano Alves, Chase Outlaw, Dener Barbosa, Mason Taylor
With the 2018 World Champion himself left unprotected, Kaique Pacheco could 100% be the first overall rider off the Expansion Draft board, despite fellow legend and three-time World Champion Silvano Alves also being left unprotected. Though Silvano would potentially offer a bit more on the coaching and/or team-bonding side, Pacheco is both seven years younger and riding better while he continues to leave his injured past in the dust.
Honestly, after being viewed as one of the older and less competitive top-to-bottom squads for the past two season, despite taking home the inaugural 2022 PBR Teams Championship, Nashville has to be considered alongside the Gamblers and Texas Rattlers for potentially still being positioned as one of the deeper squads in 2024, depending on who, and how many of its riders are selected. Veterans in Chase Outlaw and Dener Barbosa, both capable in their own rights, are also up for grabs, and could totally be selected by either the Mavericks or Wildcatters.
Available Texas Rattlers Riders: Braidy Randolph, Brady Oleson, Daniel Keeping, Eli Vastbinder
Daniel Keeping is the choice here, but it wasn’t an easy one by any means. Sure, he’s down grinding on the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour right now after an imperfect 2024 start to the season on the premier series. But this guy has it all. Going the distance for his 2023 PBR Teams Champion Texas Rattlers in an epic way last fall, it was none other than Keeping who sealed the deal for this squad in year two.
He’s got the heart, he’s a big family man and he’s always happy to talk and represent the brand. A great rider and an even better teammate, he’ll be there to help navigate all of the practice bulls in the land, be it atop the bull, pulling the latch or serving as a bull fighter. Just the type of guy Head Coach Cody Lambert likes to keep around. But with the team opting to protect the team’s veteran leader in Joao Ricardo Vieira, Australian sensation Brady Fielder and Cody Jesus, the Rattlers may will be losing at least one, and perhaps even two, quality riders. Which, as the league’s deepest team, alongside of, if not barely in front of the Gamblers, is just part of the numbers game.
Happy to take whichever bull he’s assigned, in any scenario and within any format, he will continue to serve as one of the toughest and most dedicated riders in the business. And yes, he gets bonus points for the mustache!
A complete list of PBR Camping World Team Series Unrestricted Free Agents is available on PBR.com.
Which riders would you select next month if you were in charge of building a PBR Teams squad?
Tag us @PBR on social media channels with your lineup and stay tuned to PBR.com as we predict which riders will be selected and where they will land in the coming weeks!
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
