By: Emmet Mahon · Draft Carolina · 8mo
Photo: Courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
Coming off an 11-17 season and a sixth place regular season finish, former Daytona 500 winner and Carolina Cowboys General Manager Austin Dillon isn’t fond of being at the back of the pack. Like every general manager, Dillon was determined to exit the 2024 PBR Team Series New Rider Draft in Nashville, TN with improved talent and depth for their head coach. Dillon would rely heavily on the input of Head Coach Jerome Davis who personally held a pre-draft combine. The two compared notes and used the draft to add two young riders and one veteran to the team.
The Cowboys were slated to draft fifth in the first round, so they had no hope of landing the draft’s top newcomer, John Crimber, who was selected first by the Florida Freedom and coached by his father Paulo. The Cowboys were then denied the opportunity to add a local favorite when Cherryville, NC native Clay Guiton was selected second by the expansion Oklahoma Wildcatters. Finally, Carolina was on the clock with the fifth pick. With that pick, 18-year-old Ethan Winckler of Winnie, TC became the newest Carolina Cowboy. Despite his youth, Winckler is experienced on the rodeo circuits of Texas and Louisiana. He is a well-rounded athlete in addition to his bull riding prowess. Winckler played football and basketball while attending Hamshire-Fannett High School. Most intriguing to Dillon and Davis was Winckler’s 2018 Mini Bull Riding World Championship in 2018. He won that prestigious belt buckle in Las Vagas fittingly riding a bull named Elvis.
The Cowboys had two picks in the second round. With the fourth pick and 14th overall, they selected Brazilian 19-year-old Murilo Henrique de Oliveira. The young Brazilian joins countrymate Arthur Antonialle in giving the Cowboys a touch of international flair. Carolina is counting on the experience de Oliveira has gained in PBR Brazil and PBR Canada to pay eventually dividends in the Team Series. He is unranked in bull rider standings but has the skills to improve on his 72 percent ride percentage in PBR Canada. He is what is referred to in scouting terms as a project. Carolina should not count on de Oliveira for any immediate improvement in the standings. His challenge this season is to observe, listen, and gain experience. He was drafted with an eye on the future.
Carolina reversed course with the final pick in the second round (20th overall) when they drafted Braden Richardson, a 29-year-old out of Jasper, TX. Richardson is ranked 44th in the Bull Riding category according to prorodeo.com. He won the 2024 Lago Mar Reunion Round-Up in Texas City, TX and was the co-champion of the 2024 ABC Pro Rodeo in Levelland, TX. He finished 2023 31st in the world standings according to Pro Rodeo and earned $64,038. The Cowboys expect his experience to immediately upgrade the team’s performance in addition to mentoring the younger draftees.
Carolina traded their third-round pick, 24th overall to the expansion New York Mavericks for future considerations. The Mavericks used that pick to take Eikson Pereira from Minacu, Brazil. The Cowboys passed on their fourth-round pick, 34th overall, thus ending their draft. Previously, the Cowboys added Washington state native Dawson Branton during the Expansion Draft. He was compensation for losing Josh Frost to Oklahoma.
The first opportunity for Davis to see how his new roster stacks up in competition will be July 26-28 during the PBR Teams: Duluth event in Georgia. Teams will participate in events leading up to the 2024 PBR Teams: Camping World Teams Championship final in Las Vegas, NV on October 18-20. The roster construction is complete. All Dillon and Davis can do is wait for the chutes to open in Duluth in July.
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