PUEBLO, Colo. – When one of the PBR’s founding fathers in Cody Lambert recognizes the collective group of 2024 first-year standouts as potentially one of the best classes to ever grace the sport’s landscape, you KNOW the 2024 PBR Teams New Rider Draft is going to be one for the ages!
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With several of said youthful riders set to be selected to one of 10 PBR Camping World Team Series squads when Wednesday night rolls around, the 5-on-5 series is going to become even more electric in its third year of camaraderie-driven action.
“This is up there. This is cycling around. We had the rookie breakfast (ahead of World Finals) and there were 15 rookies in there … 15 rookies. So that means a lot of veterans didn’t make the finals. If rookies are taking up 15 spots at this year’s world finals, that’s cycling around,” Lambert said.
“It’s a group of guys that love their job and they’re a pretty tight group that like each other as well. It’s really cool to see and that means we’re getting better. Bull riding is getting better.”
Occupying eight of the premier series’ Top 20 spots when the dust settled from this year’s 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast, not to mention four of the Top 7 overall, there’s no doubt this year’s rookies seem primed to be able to contribute to right away during this season’s summer series.
Add in talents like Clay Guiton and Marco Rizzo, who saw their respective rookie UTB seasons come to a close earlier than anticipated after enduring significant injuries, the future is bright, no doubt.
But for Lambert and his Texas Rattlers squad, who won it all last season during the 2023 PBR Teams Championship inside T-Mobile Arena, they’ll be picking toward the back end of the opening round.
“We’re ready for the Draft but we’re ready to get to work with our team as well,” Lambert said.
“We have the ninth pick, so we can try to see who we think will be available at the ninth pick, but we’re always looking for opportunities to swap something, but we don’t want to lose anybody that we’ve got."
Who doesn’t love a good tease?!
While we can confirm Lambert and company have been diving into the scouting books just as thoroughly as any of the other nine units, each of which whom are identifying the Fort Worth, Texas, based squad as public enemy No. 1 this season after seeing them exit last year’s postseason gauntlet with the ultimate prize …
… We wouldn’t be shocked one bit if General Manager Chad Blankenship and the organization decided to transform the prospective pick into a sure-fire, ready-to-go product ahead of or during Wednesday night’s draft.
But at the same time, it would have to be a favorable deal for whoever would be acquiring said ninth overall pick, as they’d be lowering their own team’s odds to compete this season while further fueling the defending champs.
And with several quality options likely still on the board at nine, there’s just as much a chance they keep the selection and add a youngster to the team. Anybody who gets the opportunity to soak up all that the Lambert family has to offer has plenty to learn, and if the potential prospect’s ever-ticking time clock can be wound back a few years, a fresh body and open mindset sure wouldn’t hurt.
Set to return most of its regular riders from its Championship-capturing season, including the likes of Joao Ricardo Vieira, Cody Jesus, Daniel Keeping, Brady Oleson and Brady Fielder, they’re both plenty talented when it comes to starting-caliber talent and extremely deep when it comes to quality guys waiting in the wings, previously proven in their own right.
But with the league growing from eight to 10 teams over the offseason, his personnel group shrunk a bit.
Seeing the Oklahoma Wildcatters select Braidy Randolph with the sixth overall pick in last month’s PBR Teams Expansion Draft, Lambert recognized they’d miss the grit-forward talent.
After seeing him ride with a visibly broken leg during last summer’s session while dealing with other nagging bumps and bruises throughout the year, it’s always hard to replace that type of dedication.
“We did lose Braidy Randolph, and if we had a choice, we would’ve kept the exact same team but we knew we were more than likely to lose somebody in the Expansion Draft,” he said.
“We picked up a guy, Roscoe Jarboe, and he’s looked good on the rodeo trail for years. He’s made five NFRs and looks like he’s going to be a good addition, but we’re still going to miss Randolph. We also picked up Jesse Petri and that looks like an opportunity for Jesse and for us.”
Able to sign a pair of notable free agents, however, they aren’t too concerned about filling the gap.
Lambert also noted that should the team elect to keep its ninth and 18th overall selections, they won’t be concerned about riding hand preference. They’re looking for cowboys.
And as the industry’s animal athletes continues to adapt and excel during each and every season, they might be scouted to spin one direction, but they’re more than capable of throwing in some twists, turns and unexpected moves!
“We want our guys to ride whatever they do. We’re never going to get caught up in that (needing right or left-handed riders),” Lambert said.
“We want to pick the best rider. If you ride with your right hand you have to be able to ride them wherever they go and if you ride with your left hand you have to be able to ride wherever they go.”
Ending the 2024 UTB campaign ranked a career-best No. 8 overall (including a third-place finish inside AT&T Stadium during the tour’s final Championship showdown) it was the Australian sensation in Brady Fielder who not only stuck out for Lambert but turned in the most productive campaign of the group.
“He’s really good,” Lambert said.
“He’s tough and he still has plenty of potential that he hasn’t realized yet. He’s got the ability to ride every bull.”
Knowing Daniel Keeping came in rather clutch last season, clinching the team’s win over the star-studded Austin Gamblers last fall in Las Vegas, he plans to preach consistency and work ethic in getting the most out of his guys once again this year.
With the definition of consistency in JRV set to return as the team’s leader, who very much leads by example, the squad will only benefit when they transition from texts and calls to grinding beside their teammates themselves.
Between team calls and unofficial meet-ups at the Lambert Ranch, various bull ridings and community events throughout the state of Texas, the team has remained pretty connected throughout the offseason.
“We talk regularly. Usually every couple of days. Then I see a lot of them on Wednesdays (they come by the house) and we’ll work out or practice or whatever we need. We stay in touch.”
But just 15 minutes after taking some time to chat with us, Lambert was set to call his first official meeting of the season, as a majority of his team was either already qualified to the 2024 PBR World Finals or were attempting to secure their spots via Eliminations and Ride For Redemption sessions.
And for a team lucky enough to have the legend leading the charge, there’s something special about hearing from the man in-person, rather than through the phone.
The same can be said for when they actually roll up the sleeves and get the season’s prep work in motion during this year’s training camp.
“We’ve got some stuff planned. We’ve got a couple of mini camps, not exactly a formal camp, but we’ve got a couple of mini camps in June, starting the week right after the draft,” he concluded.
“Then we’re going to go down to Odessa at Odessa College and do some stuff there. We’ll take probably 15-18 guys down there.”
With less than 10 men on the roster as things sit currently, the Rattlers have plenty of room to sign guys to their Reserve Roster, thus why they’ll take a closer look at several free agent talents at camp following this week’s 2024 PBR Teams New Rider Draft.
And if we know anything about Mr. Lambert, each one of them will be working their asses off.
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
