PUEBLO, Colo. – From surefire selections to potentially eyebrow-raising ideas, the 2024 PBR Teams New Rider Draft saw more than 30 riders welcomed to their new respective squads as the electric 5-on-5 series took another step towards beginning its third campaign of rankness.
And if we’ve learned anything throughout the first two summers of camaraderie-driven fun, we know the new kids on the block have plenty to offer when it comes to stepping into the bright lights.
While each of the league’s 10 respective squads approached the talent-dispersing night of thrills via different approaches, including trading in, trading out or sitting on the sidelines awaiting the free agency pool to officially open (as a few teams had already sent their respective selections to other teams in exchange for established veterans), a few key factors revealed themselves Wednesday evening.
With PBR.com continuing to ramp up our 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series coverage as the summer slate quickly approaches, we’re taking a deeper dive into some of the main takeaways from last week’s event in Nashville, Tennessee!
And with both of the circuit’s new expansion franchises in the New York Mavericks and Oklahoma Wildcatters exiting the showdown with several spicy new additions, not to mention Paulo Crimber and his Florida Freedom squad securing one of the industry’s top talents early on, there’s plenty of fresh blood, new colors and bonds to be forged.
We just need July to get here!
No. 1: Star Power
Rightfully so, the No. 2-ranked rider in the world in John Crimber was selected first overall during last week’s 2024 PBR Teams New Rider draft. Seeing his father, Paulo Crimber, and the Florida Freedom welcome him to his first franchise experience was truly a full-circle event, as fans have watched on for the past six months as the two have worked side-by-side throughout John’s standout rookie Unleash The Beast season. Furthermore, the duo has been preparing for this opportunity for at least the past three years, if not 15 or so …
Nearly edging out 2024 World Champion Cassio Dias last month inside the elegant AT&T Stadium, Crimber came just short of capturing a gold buckle during his rookie campaign. And had Dias not brought a whopping seven event titles into the postgame showdown, Crimber very much would’ve gotten the job done.
Similar to Dias and all of the sport’s top-performing athletes, he gives his all when it’s time to punch the clock. But potentially just as important when joining a huddle of teammates, he’s already been recognized as a leader and good person overall, eventually joining Dias on the Jerry World stage in not only congratulating his opponent but doing so with sincerity.
His 2024 season may not have ended with the Jerome Robinson Cup in his hands, but if there’s a safe bet for anyone to challenge Dias for the honors in 2025, and for years to come, he is 100% that threat.
With the league set to begin its third season of 5-on-5 action in July, it’s safe to say the future of the sport is in good hands between the likes of Crimber, Clay Guiton and company.
No. 2: Staying Stateside
Speaking of Guiton, one of the league’s two new expansion franchises in the Oklahoma Wildcatters selected the Cherryville, North Carolina, product second overall as the Top 2 available rookie talents were selected first and second overall, respectively. Guiton’s grit and talent alone earned him the honors, but with Head Coach J.B. Mauney also hailing from North Carolina, there’s no doubt their stateside history also played into the team’s first-ever PBR Teams New Rider Draft selection.
Storming onto the scene back in January after qualifying for the world’s top tour just months after turning 18, Guiton produced a pair of epic 90-pointers during his first two conversions.
And despite missing the last three months or so of premier series action after getting banged up in the Midwest, the talented cowboy has returned to the chutes this month, with a full slate of ramp-up activities primed to prepare him ahead of his first summer series appearance!
Which just happens to double-up as not only Oklahoma’s first-ever homestand event, but the 2024 campaign’s overall season kickoff July 12-14 at Paycom Center! Thankfully for the youngster, he isn’t afraid of big moments. And after watching his good friend in Crimber navigate the world’s biggest stage last month, he knows this rookie class is more than capable of meeting, if not exceeding, expectations once again.
Similar to Crimber, Guiton represents a chance for the Wildcatters to compete both now and for the long-run, thus making him a substantial franchise pillar for Mauney’s year one squad.
No. 3: Young, Wild & Cheap
Marco Rizzo was expected to be drafted in the first round by many. But after being passed on during each of the first 10 selections, eventually falling to the No. 11 overall selection, the New York Mavericks got themselves quite the steal early in the second round after selecting Hudson Bolt with the No. 3 overall selection.
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Continuing to recover from his own lower-body injury sustained earlier this spring, his possible return timetable isn’t as certain as Guiton’s, thus possibly contributing to his later selection. But when this kid is ready to ride, he will 100% be a factor for Head Coach Kody Lostroh, Ednei Caminhas and the Brooklyn-based cowboys.
Using several quality finishes via his early-winter performances excelling on the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour, he eventually found himself sharing a locker room with the world’s top-ranked riders. A ninth-place finish during his UTB debut in Houston, Texas, quickly alerted the world to the Quitman, Georgia, native, who very much understood his assignment.
Eventually getting banged up late into his first season competing within the Unleash The Beast landscape, fans won’t forget the flashes he provided during his podium effort (third place) in sunny Los Angeles, California, alongside a quality effort in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, (fourth place).
And neither did Lostroh and company, who welcomed the smile-forward talent to their roster last week.
Despite receiving some quality reps through UTB’s spring slate of action en route to riding his way to a spot inside Cowtown Coliseum, JaCauy Hale also fell a bit farther than expected, selected No. 18 overall by the Arizona Ridge Riders in Round 2. The only team to finish both of the first two postseason events within the Top 3, the Ridge Riders have been injected with a shot of youthfulness once again in drafting the 2023 INFR Champion, who’s proven he has what it takes to compete and contribute.
Knowing that the organization traded its first-round selection away in order to acquire a ready-to-ride cowboy in Dener Barbosa, they have to be happy to have drafted an Arizona native with the skillset and growing experience that Hale brings.
As far as value goes, the same could be said for the likes of Gavan Hauck, who was similarly expected by many to go during the opening 10 picks. But between team fit, needs and each organization’s differing scouting techniques and regions of emphasis, there were plenty of quality talents remaining when Rounds 2 and 3 came around, as the Freedom were able to pair Hauck with Crimber via their third-round selection at No. 26 overall.
After beginning the offseason with a bit of a quirky, odds and ends type roster (nothing against any of the riders on the team, but they weren’t amongst the year three favorites by any means), they suddenly looked refreshed and reloaded, thanks to guys like Crimber, Hauck and a cowboy named Eric Henrique Domingos!
No. 4: Ready, Set, Ride
With the ever-growing excitement that continues to surround the unique competition format, additional league and team sponsors, ownership groups and beyond are continuing to jump on board ahead of this year’s slate. So, when we say teams have even more to ride for this year … we mean it!
Thus the importance of squads selecting guys that can help them right away.
And after seeing their other first-round selection in Domingos win the opening round of the 2024 Challenger Series season last weekend in Ocean City, Maryland, just days after being selected No. 6 overall, the Florida Freedom have to be feeling good about their upcoming campaign.
Eventually turning in a third-place finish at the series-opening showdown out east, the 25-year-old talent has made the most of his stateside opportunities throughout the first half of the calendar year. Making a name for himself during the 2023 PBR Brazil season, regularly turning in Top 5 finishes within the South American space, he put a cap on his standout campaign by exiting the tour’s year-end showcase in Barretos with a first-place showing, finishing his year ranked No. 9 overall.
The Freedom suddenly look like one of the league's deeper teams despite the franchise enduring some changes throughout the offseason, which included plenty of personnel swaps, a new coach, home city and beyond. But they’re focused on year three now, and have to be near, if not atop, the list of last week’s biggest winners.
Although, just eight months after being crowned the 2023 PBR Teams World Champions inside T-Mobile Arena, the Texas Rattlers have to feel good about their own night, as late-season breakout cowboy in Shane Scott happened to be available when their No. 9 pick rolled around.
This graph easily could’ve been included in the “great draft value” section, but the idea that he’s already experienced some World Finals action despite riding in the PBR for the first time just two months back, his promise and ability to deliver in high-pressure situations is going to be a nice fit for the Rattlers.
And anytime you get to learn from the great Cody Lambert, you’re going to add a few tools to your skillset. Look for this kid to help the Rattlers secure a favorable regular season finish in 2024, which will only set one of the league’s deeper teams up for another lengthy run in Sin City this fall.
Knowing former tour talents like Brennon Eldred are officially back in the fold, set to ride with an already stacked Kansas City Outlaws squad this summer, there’s plenty of familiar faces and established riders who were selected during the midweek affair. Add in his now orange and black teammate in Maikon Calixto Rocha, who Outlaws’ Assistant Coach Guilherme Marchi believes can compete right away en route to doing his best Cassio Dias impression, and it’s rather apparent why riders, coaches, sponsors and tour personnel alike are excited to see the first 10-team, 12-event season come to life next month!
Fans can stay tuned to PBR.com and @PBR social media channels throughout the final five weeks of preseason excitement as the world's best bull riders and their legendary mentors put some fine-tuned touches on their rosters and approaches ahead of next month's year three debut in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma!
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
