Golden is the type of receiver the Packers needed in 2025
The Green Bay Packers finally did the thing when they took Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden 23rd overall. After more than two decades of fans waiting for the team to take a first-round receiver, they made fans wait until they could do so in front of a home crowd.
Golden brings the Packers an element that they desperately needed in 2025: speed. According to Christian Watson’s father, the starting receiver will likely miss the first three months of the 2025 regular season — which also just happens to be a contract year for Watson.
Without Watson, there was no man coverage beating threat on Green Bay’s roster. Jayden Reed, the team’s top pass-catcher, is a slot receiver who was stopped repeatedly by man coverage in 2024 — particularly toward the end of the season. Meanwhile, returning receivers Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks aren’t exactly known for burning cornerbacks for deep scores. The top speed threats on the team were probably free agent signing Mecole Hardman, who probably depends on winning the punt return job to even make the 53-man roster, and Bo Melton, who had all of 91 receiving yards in 2024.
So, yeah, Golden’s 4.29-second 40-yard dash time is going to help a lot in Green Bay. The assumption is that he’ll be in the outside receiver rotation with Doubs and Wicks, however that shakes out, allowing Reed to remain in the slot moving forward.
Golden was a little bit of a late breakout in college. He spent the first two years of his career at Houston, where he transferred out of in 2024. He wasn’t a big-name transfer, ranked outside of the transfer portal’s top 50 players last offseason, but really came on in the postseason for Texas. His first 100-yard game with the Longhorns actually came against the Georgia Bulldogs.
From a yards per route ran perspective, he posted just a 1.66 mark through Week 14. Over the last four games of Texas’ season, though, he posted an incredible 3.37 number. That’s not including all of the defensive pass interferences he brought in, too, of which there were many — particularly against Arizona State.
I’m giving this draft pick an A grade. Outside of Marshall’s Mike Green, I don’t think there was a better player available at any position who didn’t have a major injury concern — like Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons or Michigan cornerback Will Johnson. You won’t hear much complaining from me.