NFR Preview: Meet The 4 Rookie Bull Riders Heading to the Thomas & Mack Arena

Bull riding is one of the most difficult events in rodeo and the cowboys that take to the arena set the standard in grit and perseverance. The 2026 rodeo season proved to be one of the most competitive as four of the cowboys in the top 15 and heading to the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) are contenders for the Resistol Rookie of the Year.

Noah Lee

In a massive turn of events this season, a rookie is leading the world standings by a mile. 18-year-old Noah Lee has earned $405,040 this season, putting him over $70,000 ahead of his veteran competitors. He has had a dream season during his first year in the PRCA as he’s secured the title at 27 rodeos and is only getting better.

Lee started the season off strong, pulling in wins at the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo and then keeping his pace all throughout the summer. He had a massive summer run winning some of the most iconic rodeos a cowboy can including the Calgary Stampede, Caldwell Night Rodeo and The Governor's Cup all within weeks of each other.

Clearly, it’s Lee who is setting the standard in bull riding and the cowboys behind him will have their work cut out for them once they hit the Thomas & Mack Arena.

John Crimber

The next rookie cowboy to grace the stage in Las Vegas will be No. 6 cowboy and PBR World Champion John Crimber. Despite some setbacks due to injuries this season, he has not let that phase him as he worked to earn his spot in the top 15. At 21-years-old he took to the ProRodeo arena with ease and continues to prove he has what it takes to land on top.

Between him and Lee, the two dominated the end of season rodeos as Crimber secured the title at the North Dakota Roughrider Cup, the Othello PRCA Rodeo and the Puyallup Rodeo. He earned 14 total wins over the course of the season, putting him at No. 6 with $254,339, just $4,000 away from the top five.

Hayden Welsh

Sitting strong at No. 7 is rookie bull rider Hayden Welsh. With $242,065 earned, he is just behind Crimber and will have to come with his A-game if he wants to pass either of the other rookies ahead of him. Welsh might be new to the ProRodeo arena but you could never tell after his debut season.

Welsh quickly rose in the ranks, starting his season off strong with a win at the Mountain States Circuit Finals, only to go on to win the Reno Rodeo and the Kitsap Stampede Xtreme Bulls to round out the season. With six total rodeo wins, Welsh is on his way to the Thomas & Mack Arena to prove he has what it takes to earn the world title just one year in the game.

Braxton Whitesell

Rounding out the bull riding rookie race is Braxton Whitesell in No. 13 with $169,222 his name. Despite not breaking the $200,000 mark, he did just enough to make his way to Las Vegas come December. Whitesell may be up against the best rookie class seen in years, but that’s not holding him back.

At 19 years old, this cowboy secured five rodeo wins, one being the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo - Rookie Rally, and then later in the season he secured the title at the Amarillo Tri-State Fair and Rodeo. Although there is a big gap to close between him and Lee at No. 1, anything can happen at the NFR.

It’s clear that rookies are setting the standard in this year’s NFR bull riding class, and if veterans aren’t careful one of them will earn the world champion crown, ushering in a new set of athletes at the top of their game.

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