PUEBLO, Colo. – Any time you’re included in a trade involving Kaique Pacheco, you’re surely being valued by someone in high regard.

Exactly the case when bull riding legend J.B. Mauney opted into welcoming Cort McFadden and Austin Richardson to his Oklahoma Wildcatters team less than an hour after selecting the 2018 World Champion via the PBR Teams Expansion Draft earlier this month.

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The Dragonslayer himself has never backed down from some extra excitement and a little risk, so why not pull the trigger on a blockbuster draft-day deal or two?

But when you consider that whenever Richardson is able to make his debut for the tan and blue contingent, the fact that the cowboy will be coming off a rough injury sustained early in the 2024 Unleash The Beast season makes you wonder:

Was that trade based around the No. 7-ranked rider in Richardson, who has been the only other rider this season besides No. 1 Cassio Dias to sit atop the Unleash The Beast World Championship standings?

Or were Mauney and company looking to the trending 20-year-old in McFadden to be one of the foundational pieces of their year-one squad?

While several aspects likely played into the swap, the squad can’t help to feel good about its return after seeing McFadden extend his tour-best (active) event ride streak to 11 Wednesday night as the tour invaded Angel of the Winds Arena for the PBR Everett showdown.

Which is kind of insane considering the talent was just 1-for-10 last summer with the Austin Gamblers before beginning his 2024 season on the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour.

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But in a “What have you done for me lately?” league which has access to, literally, the best bull riders on the planet, your stock one year can be completely different a season later.

Again, exactly the case for McFadden, who’s seen his stock climb higher and higher as he continues to put on a show during his standout rookie campaign.

The 11-event ride streak is impressive, no doubt.

But if you ask McFadden, or simply look at his overall resume on the season, his streak should be at a perfect 14-for-14.

And had he not gone rideless in Houston, Texas, in January, he certainly would be.

It was, after all, just the third UTB event of his budding career.

RELATED: Rookie sensation John Crimber wins Round 1 at PBR Everett

Yet, it almost stands out in a good way, as outside the rare 0-for weekend down south, the Novice, Texas, native has recorded at least one qualified ride in each of his other 13 UTB appearances, finding success in 13 of 14 showcases on the season and 17-for-40 overall in the ride department.

A total which he improved upon during his Round 1 showdown against Smoke Down, just three nights after closing out a sixth-place result in Billings, Montana (one of his five Top 10 finishes in 2024).

Scored 86.25 points for his 8 seconds of greatness, the son of former PBR standout in his own right, Cory McFadden, reminded his 5-on-5 believers of the flashes he can provide when he’s feeling it.

And throughout his first-year campaign, he’s definitely been feeling it.

McFadden hasn’t been hesitant to get his weekends off to a good start by any means, as his opening round conversion represented his seventh Round 1 score of the season (nearly half of his 17 on the year).

Entering the night ranked No. 16 as the officially Danger Zone bubble man, he cashed in his qualified ride for a fourth-place finish and corresponding 16 UTB points en route to passing Cody Jesus in premier series standings to earn his new No. 15 spot.

With Wildcatters teammate Kyler Oliver getting the job done Wednesday night as well, edging out McFadden by three quarters of a point (.75) in the Round 1 standings, it was a good night for the future prospects of Oklahoma’s new team.

Hell, Oliver would’ve tied Keyshawn Whitehorse for the opening round honors, had No. 3 John Crimber not come out of nowhere to steal the round win with an epic 88.5-point effort during the third-from-last out of the night.

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Despite Crimber, No. 1 Cassio Dias and several other UTB new guys putting on a spectacle during their respective rookie seasons, McFadden continues to keep himself in the conversation for top talents enjoying a breakout season in 2024.

And anytime you’re keeping up with guys like Dias and Crimber … well, maybe it’s not that surprising you’re on the opposite end of a Pacheco swap after all!

Photo courtesy of Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media