PUEBLO, Colo. – The first ever PBR Camping World Team Series Expansion Draft is just six days away, on April 10, at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

It’s going to be a huge moment in PBR history as the two newest teams, the Oklahoma Wildcatters and the New York Mavericks, will officially start building their rosters.

Last month, a coin toss determined that the Wildcatters, led by head coach J.B. Mauney and general manager Brandon Bates, would get the first pick. Under the snake draft format, Oklahoma will select 1/4/5/8/9/12, while New York, led by head coach Kody Lostroh and general manager Chris Patani, will select 2/3/6/7/10/11.

Each team will be able to select up to six riders from the field of 35 draft-eligible riders who were not protected by their teams, as well as a pool of more than 100 free agents. The existing teams can lose a maximum of one rider.

The decision of who to draft (or even to draft anyone at all) is a huge one for Mauney and Lostroh as they begin their head coaching journey.

Here at PBR.com, though, the stakes are a little bit lower. We held a mock draft to forecast how things might shake out on April 10, with James Youness representing the Wildcatters and Darci Miller as the Mavericks.

We don’t have a crystal ball to see the future, but read on to play general manager with some PBR insiders.

No. 1, Wildcatters: Kaique Pacheco (Nashville Stampede)

James Youness: “With a wide-open draft board, there really is something to be said about the power of the No. 1 overall selection—so much talent, so many opportunities, and differing directions to base a new franchise around. But after being selected No. 2 overall by the Nashville Stampede during the inaugural 2022 PBR Teams Draft just a few years back, there’s no way a team can pass on 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco. Already proving to the world he’s just as potent within the 5-on-5 format (eventually winning the first late-summer showdown inside T-Mobile Arena with the yellow and blue squad), Pacheco has to be the first off of the board.”

No. 2, Mavericks: Keyshawn Whitehorse (Arizona Ridge Riders)

Darci Miller: “Last season for the Arizona Ridge Riders, Keyshawn Whitehorse went just 5-for-24 (20%). To start 2024, he was cut from the Unleash The Beast in January and had to work his way back up from the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour. But he did just that, and since returning to the premier series, he’s been one of the hottest guys going at 17-for-33 (51.5%) at all levels of competition with seven Top-10 finishes in eight events. If I’m the Mavericks, I’m trying to run with a hot hand by selecting Whitehorse.”

No. 3, Mavericks: Leonardo Castro Ferreira (Kansas City Outlaws)

DM: “The Kansas City Outlaws were flush with talent in 2023, and plenty of riders that were huge performers for the orange and black were left unprotected. However, with Wingson Henrique da Silva injured and Sandro Batista not competing so far this year, there were some question marks. That left Leonardo Castro Ferreira as the safest bet from the Outlaws roster. He went 7-for-14 (50%) in his debut Teams season, and while he’s competed in just seven UTB events this year, he’s 9-for-19 (47%) with a huge win at the Major in Sacramento. Mavericks assistant coach Ednei Caminhas should provide some great guidance for his 20-year-old countryman!”

No. 4, Wildcatters: Austin Richardson (Austin Gamblers)

JY: “Both Whitehorse and Castro were on my Top 5 board, but the Wildcatters would be rather happy next week if 24-year-old Austin Richardson were still on the board in Round 2. Showing the industry he’s got what it takes to compete amongst UTB’s top talents, Richardson sat atop the 2024 Unleash The Beast World Championship standings six weeks into the season courtesy of his back-to-back, early-season wins in the Empire State. Ending his season back in January due to injury, the unprotected Austin Gamblers rider was an encouraging 12-for-22 before hanging it up for the season. If he can put his knee injury in the rear-view as the spring continues, he would be a great pillar for either of the new franchises.”

No. 5, Wildcatters: Josh Frost (Carolina Cowboys)

JY: “Maybe I’m just a sucker for previously existing draft stock and overall value. But knowing that the Carolina Cowboys traded Wingson Henrique da Silva to the Kansas City Outlaws in exchange for the opportunity to draft Josh Frost No. 2 overall at the 2023 PBR Teams New Rider Draft nearly one year ago means they really believed in the rodeo-forward bull rider. Even if Frost hadn’t spent a majority of his season with wavering bumps and bruises (6-for-15 last season with Carolina), he would’ve had to literally ride at a 100% rate to edge out any of Daylon Swearingen, Cooper Davis and Sage Steele Kimzey in being protected from the squad. Frost may not go as high as No. 5 overall, but he’s the Carolina rider I’d want, and I definitely expect him to don some new colors come season three.”

No. 6, Mavericks: Braidy Randolph (Texas Rattlers)

DM: “The reigning PBR Teams Champions were #blessed with the deepest roster in the league last season. But this season, that blessing turns into a curse, as literally all of the Texas Rattlers’ unprotected riders would be tempting to draft. However, since we can only pick one, I’m going with Braidy Randolph. He’s competed in just five events this season, deciding to shut things down in January due to injury – and to rest up for Teams, which is music to this fake general manager’s ears. He had two Top-10 finishes before stepping away, though, and went a solid 9-for-23 (39%) for the Rattlers last year.”

No. 7, Mavericks: Alex Cerqueira (Florida Freedom)

DM: “A solid back-of-the-rotation guy, Alex Cerqueira provides a squad with a veteran presence and high upside – after all, he rode Ricky Vaughn for 91.75 points for the former Oklahoma Freedom last year! He went 6-for-23 (26%) for the Freedom in 2023 and is 12-for-41 (29%) on the UTB in 2024, tying his career high with a second-place finish in Salt Lake City in February. He’s also a frequent competitor at the PBR Stockyards Showcase Touring Pro Division events, proving that he’s willing to put in the work each week. That’s a mindset we like to see.”

No. 8, Wildcatters: Dawson Branton (Free Agent)

JY: “Dawson Branton spent his summer traveling with the Carolina Cowboys, albeit only receiving limited opportunities to compete (just 0-for-5 on the season). And while he’s made his way to free agency, unable to regularly make the starting lineup due to the team’s overloaded talent pool, he’s been able to use some of the things he’s learned from the trio of World Champions in year two during his standout individual season in 2024. Now 4-for-10 on Unleash The Beast and 9-for-12 within Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour competition despite battling some injuries earlier this season, I could see a team giving him a shot to prove himself this summer. And if I’m Mauney or Lostroh, he’d be on my shortlist.”

No. 9, Wildcatters: Jesse Petri (Free Agent)

JY: “Both of these last two selections are no doubt value plays overall, but they are both expected to be hungry and healthy, which hasn’t been the case for the past few seasons. Jesse Petri may be riding for his qualification status right now, ranked No. 30 overall as he continues to sit near the bubble. But the fact that he’s riding and knocking them down is a good sign for the 26-year-old. Converting 10 times in his first 42 outs of the season, he can only improve his stock by turning things up a notch here during the premier series’ final stretch. We’ve seen him excel in the past and expect him to continue to compete for a spot at the 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast as the series prepares to enter season three.”

No. 10, Mavericks: Jake Gardner (Free Agent)

DM: “Canadian Jake Gardner is an intriguing prospect. He’s yet to make his PBR Teams debut and has just three Unleash The Beast events under his belt, all in 2024, going 2-for-7. However, in two PBR Canada events in 2024, he’s 3-for-4 with a win and a second-place finish. We’ve seen plenty of Canadian talents come south and hang with the best of them, including Nick Tetz, who’s currently behind Gardner in the PBR Canada standings. He’s a bit of a wildcard, but if I’m looking for depth pieces, I’m on board.”

No. 11, Mavericks: Marcelo Procopio Pereira (Free Agent)

DM: “Admittedly, Marcelo Procopio Pereira hasn’t had the best luck in Teams so far. Previously competing for the Missouri Thunder, Pereira went 3-for-12 in 2022 and 0-for-9 in 2023. He’s struggled with injury for much of the last year but is slowly starting to put things back together, going 5-for-24 (20%) on the Velocity Tour this year with four Top-10 finishes. At 29 years old, Pereira should still have plenty of juice left in the tank, and we’re wondering if Caminhas might help jumpstart him.”

No. 12, Wildcatters: Kyler Oliver (Free Agent)

JY: “Originally selected No. 13 overall (second round) by the Kansas City Outlaws, Oliver was meant to be one of his team’s leaders on the dirt and in the locker room. Just 2-for-12 in his first season in orange and black, he was off to a decent start in 2023 before the injury bug struck once again, limiting Oliver to 4-for-13 in his second summer. Back on Unleash The Beast as of this weekend’s showdown in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, he’ll look to improve on his 4-for-14 premier series slate while hoping to climb the standings from his current No. 43 overall rank.”

Wildcatters: Kaique Pacheco, Austin Richardson, Josh Frost, Dawson Branton, Jesse Petri, Kyler Oliver

Mavericks: Keyshawn Whitehorse, Leonardo Castro Ferreira, Braidy Randolph, Alex Cerqueira, Jake Gardner, Marcelo Procopio Pereira

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media