BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
The Nashville Stampede had the second overall pick in the inaugural PBR Team Series and did not make any trades, instead Head Coach Justin McBride stood firm.
“I am still waiting for someone to say we couldn’t make that pick, because we literally got every pick that we hoped to get. I feel like anytime that a draft gets over, and you walk away feeling like this, it definitely speaks to the prep work that our entire team did to get to this point,” McBride told PBR.com “I am really proud of everybody, all the work that everyone has put in that’s what the Nashville Stampede is about to become.”
Here is a look at the roster the two-time PBR World Champion assembled.
1. Kaique Pacheco
The Ice Man was considered by most to the second-best available rider and the Stampede grabbed the 2018 PBR World Champion and 2022 Reserve World Champion without taking much time. Pacheco has 499 qualified rides in his PBR career and has rode 56 percent of his bulls since coming onto the scene in 2013. In the last two seasons alone, he has won eight events and made more than $800,000 in the PBR.
2. Dener Barbosa
The 28-year-old Brazilian won two Unleash the Beast events in 2021 and finished a career-best No. 7 in the PBR World Standings. He wasn’t quite as good in 2022, but was impressive nonetheless. Barbosa finished No. 12 and notched 11 Top 10s. He has had at least 10 Top 10 finishes in each of the last eight years.
3. Ryan Dirteater
One of the biggest unknowns heading into Draft Day was where would Ryan Dirteater be selected. The Oklahoma native came out of retirement for the PBR Team Series has not competed since the 2020 World Finals, but McBride couldn’t resist the veteran presence and selected him with the 18th overall pick. Dirteater made his PBR debut in 2007 and since then has racked up 406 qualified rides, 18 event wins and almost $2 million in prize money. Direater is the only American on the Stampede’s roster.
4. Manoelita de Souza Jr.
The 26-year-old is coming off the best season of his career in 2022. De Souza Jr. won multiple events for the first time in his and finished No. 20 in the PBR World Standings. He has made the World Finals each of the last two years but has yet to make the whistle on the sport’s biggest stage.
5. Joao Henrique Lucas
The final pick for the Stampede rounded out a quartet of Brazilians. Lucas has made the PBR World Finals each of the last three seasons and finished in the Top 25 in 2021 and 2022. He has six Unleash the Beat Top 5s in the last two seasons.
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Round-by-Round Results of PBR Team Series Draft