PRCA Rookie Hayden Welsh Drafted No. 1 in PBR Teams by Kansas City Outlaws

A young PRCA star went in the No. 1 position of the PBR Teams Draft.

Hayden Welsh | Bull Stock Media

In the past, there haven’t been a plethora of cowboys who competed in the PBR and ProRodeo at the same time. Not to say that it hasn’t happened because it has, but usually the top bull riders in the industry go with one association or the other during the year.

Times seem to be changing. When John Crimber announced in February that he was going to be purchasing his PRCA membership and hitting the trail, it took the world by storm. His success in the PBR has been remarkable, and he just continues racking up the accolades.

Now, yet another rookie in the PRCA has made waves by going No. 1 in the PBR Teams Draft. Hayden Welsh from Gillette, Wyoming, has been paving his way in the PRCA toward the goal of winning the Resistol Rookie of the Year award in the bull riding.

He is currently sitting second in those standings with $99,359 in earnings so far. The only cowboy ahead of him is Mineral Wells, Texas man, Noah Lee who has deposited $105,741 this season. For the bull riding event, the difference here could just be one bull.

While managing the rodeo road of the PRCA can be a full-time job, Welsh has made the decision to go to the PBR events as well.

Welsh’s Road to the PBR

Colorado native Hayden Welsh spurring a bull during the Semi-Finals of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo | FWSSR Photo by James Phifer

Welsh came by bull riding naturally, and it is probably running in his blood. His father is seven-time National Finals Qualifier Bobby Welsh.

Hayden has put in the work and spent the time on the road making a name for himself. He rose from the high school rodeo ranks to go on to Odessa College in Odessa, Texas where he competed for two seasons.

Then he stepped into the Professional Rodeo ranks and has continued to take titles (like fourth at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo) and earn his way up the ranks. Not only is he second in the rookie standings, but he is also sitting fifth in the world standings on the way to his first NFR.

Welsh was interviewed on Cowboy+ where he explained that a lot of thought went into him going into the draft for the PBR. He knew he wanted to still go for his goal of making the NFR and winning the rookie title. When he figured out that he could do both, he was all in.

“I was wanting to be a first draft pick, and the draft was like, man, that’s something pretty special; you better look into it and really give it deep prayer,” Welsh said in a statement released by PBR. “Praise God this door is open, because I think it’s going to open a lot of good opportunity.”

John Crimber was also the No. 1 Draft pick when he entered the PBR. If Welsh can follow along in those footsteps, he will have the bull riding world by the tail.