PUEBLO, Colo. – After seeing the PBR Teams Expansion Draft results and ensuing order decided for next month’s New Rider Draft via a dramatic lottery drawing, all we can say is WOW!
RELATED: Florida Freedom earn No. 1 pick in 2024 PBR Teams New Rider Draft to be held May 29 in Nashville
Between seeing Florida Freedom Head Coach Paulo Crimber exclaim his excitement on stage following the electric announcement that his team would receive the No. 1 overall selection in the enticing talent-welcoming showdown (thus receiving the opportunity to draft his son, No. 2 John Crimber) …
… to watching on as J.B. Mauney, Brandon Bates and the Oklahoma Wildcatters opt into two league-altering trades with the Austin Gamblers in attempting to make their team a “Win-now” threat (with Oklahoma sending its No. 1 selection in 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco to the Gamblers in exchange for both No. 7 Austin Richardson and No. 18 Cort McFadden before acquiring Hayden Harris from the green and black squad in exchange for veteran Lucas Divino, which the Wildcatters had drafted earlier in the evening) …
Wednesday night in Oklahoma City was one of the most exciting evenings in PBR Camping World Team Series history, as the league not only got an idea at what opening day rosters for the two new expansion teams could look like but saw the two-time regular-season champion Gamblers make yet another spicy set of moves to acquire a big-hitter in Pacheco and further their odds of finally winning it all inside T-Mobile Arena this fall during the 2024 PBR Teams Championship.
RELATED: Oklahoma Wildcatters make two blockbuster trades during 2024 PBR Teams Expansion Draft
Which begs the question:
Between the Kody Lostroh and Ednei Caminhas-coached squad and the Dragonslayer J.B. Mauney, himself, who exited Wednesday night’s draft as the biggest winner?
While both of the collective front office groups would claim just being apart of the league-expanding event was an honor it itself, each of the coaches and executives involved have either bested bovines in their own time or have been around the sport long enough to know how competitive the summer series is going to be when the slate heats up.
Accepting their new roles in attempting to win each and every game, event title and championship possible along the way, they know there isn’t room for participation trophies.
And with a majority of the riders selected this week continuing to prove themselves capable, worthy and ever-potent via their competition status in Unleash The Beast and Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT) involvement, Mauney, Lostroh and company are going to get a taste of what their potential opening day athletes can accomplish during their final month of individual competition.
So, let’s dive into the teams’ respective rosters following the exciting Expansion Draft and see what the Mavericks and Wildcatters will look to build on during next month’s 2024 New Rider Draft:
Oklahoma Wildcatters
As the teams participated in the “snake” styled draft, teams were allotted consecutive picks throughout a majority of the draft, with the lone exception being the Wildcatters receiving the first overall pick (via a coin toss executed during a mid-season Unleash The Beast event) and thus thrusting the Mavericks into the spotlight to the start the back-to-back action.
Eventually selecting 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco with the No. 1 pick, Oklahoma ended up sending the talented veteran to the Austin Gamblers in exchange for a pair of up-and-coming cowboys in Austin Richardson and Cort McFadden. While any team, including the Wildcatters, would be blessed to have the talented Brazilian on their squad, Mauney understands the important of depth in this sport.
Not only is McFadden continuing to excel throughout his rookie Unleash The Beast season, now 14-for-35 (40%) on the year, but he’s nearly nine years younger than Pacheco. And in a league which seems to have quite the promising future, the Wildcatters were wise in welcoming the young standout to its inaugural roster. Not to mention acquiring the No. 7-ranked bull rider in the world alongside him in Austin Richardson (who won a pair of early-season premier series events before getting banged up in mid-January and eventually announced he’d be out for the remainder of the season). Expected to be recovered and willing to give it another shot this summer, Richardson blazed his way to a stunning 12-for-22 record in 2024 before shutting it down for the season. Any team with two riders in the Top 20 of the Unleash The Beast World Championship standings should feel great about their odds in year three. And with both of the youngsters (with Richardson being just 24 years old) sitting within the Top 18 as things sit heading into Billings, Montana, this weekend, Oklahoma has to be thrilled with their early-draft returns.
Next up for the Wildcatters, the squad enjoyed making their first pair of consecutive picks by welcoming Josh Frost (No. 4 overall) and Kyler Oliver (No. 5 overall) as the team began to forge an identity. Selected No. 2 overall by the Carolina Cowboys during last spring’s 2023 New Rider Draft, Frost has plenty of talent when it comes to going head-to-head with the rankest bulls in the business. But as a frequent rodeo traveler, he’s has been through a lot as he approaches year 29 on planet Earth. That said, when he’s healthy and available, he’s quite the threat to produce high scores. Just 5-for-16 (40%) in 2023 as one of many Carolina riders who battled injury through the second season of 5-on-5 thrills, Frost should serve as a great pillar to build around, alongside McFadden, Richardson and new teammate Kyler Oliver, who was selected just after Frost.
Originally selected No. 13 overall by the Kansas City Outlaws during the inaugural 2022 PBR Teams Draft, Oliver was drafted to make a difference in this league, as he had done during his budding career leading to that point. But with wave after wave of injuries continuing to affect the rider over the past few seasons, his availability, and overall rider stock, has fallen. Continuing to put the puzzle pieces back together in 2024, he’s currently ranked No. 45 in the UTB standings, meaning he will need to ride some bulls here over the final regular season events to qualify for the 2024 PBR World Finals. But the fact that he’s been around this year (4-for-17 on UTB, 7-for-16 on PWVT) is a good sign for the Wildcatters, who selected riders who aren’t just proven, but still full of plenty of potential.
Representing the team’s final pair of consecutive choices, Oklahoma drafted veteran Lucas Divino (later trading him back to the Gamblers in exchange for 24-year-old Hayden Harris) with the eighth-overall selection before welcoming veteran Dener Barbosa to the squad with pick No. 9. Spending the past two seasons with the Texas Rattlers, Harris has only gotten two combined attempts in the series, last competing in the 2023 PBR Teams Championship. Spending part of his 2023 season competing at the PWVT level, he hasn’t posted a qualified ride at a PBR-sanctioned event since Dec. 17, 2022 (coming during a Touring Pro Division event in Kearney, Nebraska. If Oklahoma welcomed a “Wild Card” Wednesday night, this would be it!
With its second-to-last pick, the Wildcatters brought Dener Barbosa into the fold. Coming off a big Stockyards Showcase win on April 4, Barbosa has endured a bit of a roller coaster-esque season. Between his 6-for-10 Touring Pro Division showcase, 7-for-11 PWVT slate and 3-for-17 premier series record, he’s had several chances to stay aboard the industry’s top tour, but it just hasn’t been in the cards for the 29-year-old this season. Finishing No. 6 overall in the world last season, the veteran still has plenty in the tank, and will look to help fuel his squad to some year one success as the oldest current rider on the team.
Rounding out the roster by selecting Eduardo Matos as the 12th and final rider off the board, Oklahoma added another Brazilian to the team. Formerly chosen 10th overall during the 2023 New Rider Draft by the Missouri Thunder, the young 22-year-old has only participated in 13 total events since first competing in 2022. But he’s got plenty of potential, and with the right coaching and teammates supporting him, he was a great prospective selection all things considered.
Overall Draft Grade: B+
We truly love the value the Wildcatters got by flipping Pacheco to the Gamblers, but at the same time, it’s never easy welcoming a World Champion to your team and trading him away just an hour later. Pacheco is someone who could’ve come in and set the tone for this new team but will instead get a chance at a big win with Austin. Outside of the swap to acquire Harris, who’s a bit of an unknown compared to the other riders drafted (though we will trust the Dragonslayer on this one), this was a homerun-hitting effort for Mauney, Bates and friends! Overall, four of the men selected were part of existing teams, while two of the six were unrestricted free agents on draft night (Kyler Oliver, Dener Barbosa)
No. 1 Pick: Kaique Pacheco (Later traded to the Austin Gamblers for Cort McFadden and Austin Richardson)
No. 4 Pick: Josh Frost
No. 5 Pick: Kyler Oliver
No. 8 Pick: Lucas Divino (Later traded to the Austin Gamblers for Hayden Harris)
No. 9 Pick: Dener Barbosa
No. 12 Pick: Eduardo Matos
RELATED: Oklahoma Wildcatters, New York Mavericks assemble initial rosters at 2024 PBR Teams Expansion Draft
New York Mavericks
The Mavericks may not have won the ceremonial coin toss to secure the No. 1 overall selection, but with two of the first three picks and four of the first seven, the team exited Wednesday night’s draft with plenty of established and potential talent.
PBR.com’s Darci Miller was correct in the team targeting the Kansas City Outlaws and Arizona Ridge Riders’ talent pools with their first two selections. While New York decided to draft Vitor Losnake instead of Keyshawn Whitehorse as we projected, the Mavericks indeed looked to the black and white squad as they welcomed the first member of their year one squad. But just as the Wildcatters chose to send Kaique to the Gamblers for a pair of 24-and-under riders, New York opted into selecting the 20-year-old Losnake instead of 26-year-old Whitehorse. Ranked No. 22 overall in premier series competition (15-for-44), Losnake stormed into U.S. competition during the first summer of 5-on-5 action and hasn’t looked back. Revered alongside the Daniel Keepings of the series, Losnake was a vital piece in Arizona becoming the only team to place Top 3 in each of the first two PBR Teams Championship gauntlets.
Just as predicted, New York exercised its back-to-back honors by selecting Leonardo Castro at the No. 3 spot. Which makes all the sense in the world, as the rookie standout is currently ranked No. 17 within the Unleash The Beast World Championship standings as he continues to perform on the world’s biggest stage. Watching former teammate No. 1 Cassio Dias up close and personal last summer as his fellow countryman nearly stole the 2023 PBR Teams MVP honors from Jose Vitor Leme, Castro tapped into the insights J.W. Hart and Guilherme Marchi provided on the regular, going 7-for-14 last summer en route to earning the Outlaws a first-round bye inside T-Mobile Arena. At just 20 years old himself, he and Losnake will be a great 1-2 punch when the team gets things started in July.
Nearly 3-for-3 in perfection, Miller also correctly guessed that Braidy Randolph, formerly of the Texas Rattlers, would be next up for the Mavericks. Which also makes a ton of sense, given the 23-year-old just helped the Rattlers win the 2023 PBR Teams Championship (9-for-23 overall) before keeping his success rolling right into the start of the premier series slate. Finishing in the Top 15 (sixth, eighth, 15th) in three of his first five UTB appearances, Randolph was feeling himself throughout the calendar year. But having suffered several different injuries over the past two seasons, he made the difficult choice to cut his 2024 season short in hopes of entering the summer series with a good bill of health. If he can return to action in such fashion, he will potentially go down as one of the draft’s biggest steals.
This is where things get a little risky for New York, as each of Leandro Jose Zampollo (0-for-0), Ederson Santos (4-for-8) and Romario Leite (0-for-0) combine for a 4-for-8 record on Unleash The Beast in 2024.
Zampollo has been giving it his all during PWVT (6-for-13) and Touring Pro Division (11-for-22), currently ranked No. 7 overall in Touring Pro Division 2024 standings. But in order to succeed atop the rankest bulls in the world, he’s going to need to log some high-quality practice sessions if he’s going to be ready to perform this summer. But at just 23 years old, he will have plenty of time to soak in all that Lostroh and Caminhas throw his way.
For Santos, selected tenth overall Wednesday, he’s found some of that success on UTB this season, able to convert in half of his opportunities (most recently highlighted by eighth and ninth-place finishes during his first two premier series appearances so far). But perhaps it’s his 105-point lead over No. 2 Grayson Cole atop the Velocity Global rankings that says the most about the talented Brazilian. Now 13-for-23 within 2024 PWVT events, he’s added a fierce 10-for-17 record at Touring Pro Division events in continuing to make a name for himself.
Rounding out the fresh talent for the Mavericks is Romario Leite, who’s most recently spent some time competing in both the PBR Brazil and PBR Australia circuits. Ending the 2023 season ranked No. 21 in Australia, we don’t know too much about the 29-year-old, but with four other Brazilians on the squad, plus Coach Caminhas, he could play a vital role in helping the youngsters to learn while setting the tone in the locker room and during team workouts.
Overall Draft Grade: B-
Selecting riders from existing teams with each of the squad’s first three picks, Lostroh and Caminhas changed things up during the second half of the draft, eventually welcoming a trio of unrestricted free agents with picks No. 7, 10 and 11. If they are able to land either Marco Rizzo or Clay Guiton in next month’s 2024 New Rider Draft, they will be instantly set up for success. All 12 of the drafted athletes from Wednesday night’s event are destined to give it their all this summer. But will New York’s three former free agent riders approach season three with some additional hunger?
No. 2 Pick: Vitor Losnake
No. 3 Pick: Leonardo Castro Ferreira
No. 6 Pick: Braidy Randolph
No. 7 Pick: Leandro Jose Zampollo
No. 10 Pick: Ederson Santos
No. 11 Pick: Romario Leite
(Bonus Humble Brag:) Last week’s PBR.com Mock Draft successfully identified five of the 12 riders drafted, with more than 100 riders available to be selected.
PBR fans are encouraged to stay tuned to PBR.com, PBR social media channels and tune into this weekend’s broadcasts as Unleash The Beast prepares to invade First Interstate Arena at MetraPark April 12-14!
Photo courtesy of Todd Brewer/Bull Stock Media
