The Green Bay Packers selected Matthew Golden in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, marking the first time in 23 years they spent a first-round pick on a wide receiver.
Already, the rookie wide-out has impressive Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who spoke about Golden for the first time at his charity softball game Friday.
‘He’s a great dude,’ Love said of Golden, per The Athletic. ‘I’m excited to see just his potential on the football field. But just the start we’ve had, doing routes on air and things like that, he looks like a stud, looks like a very polished receiver, so I’m excited to see just how far he can take it.’
Golden played one season at Texas after transferring from Houston and quickly emerged as Quinn Ewers’ top target. He recorded career-high marks in receptions (58), receiving yards (987) and receiving touchdowns (9) while helping lead the Longhorns to a College Football Playoff appearance.
Love was impressed after watching Golden’s highlights from his time at Texas. The 26-year-old quarterback and noted the 5-11, 191-pound receiver will add a unique speed element to Green Bay’s offense.
‘The speed speaks for itself,’ Love said. ‘Running a 40-yard dash, any time you get a 4.2, that’s some blazing speed right there, so I’m excited to see how fast he is on the field. I’ve seen all the highlights, all the good stuff, so we’ll see once we get practice rolling and everything how good he is.’
Golden will face plenty of competition for targets in Green Bay’s receiver room. Veterans Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Dontavyion Wicks represent the most proven options on the active roster while rookie third-round pick Savion Williams will also look to carve out a role with the team.
Golden’s speed could give him a leg up in the competition. The Packers lost their primary downfield threat, Christian Watson, to a torn ACL in Week 18 last season. There is not yet a timetable for Watson to return, but he could miss at least the beginning of the 2025 NFL season.
Couple that with Golden’s draft position and he should get a chance to see the field early and often, provided he can accomplish his goal of clicking quickly with Love.
‘Just gain his trust, man,’ Golden said of his goal as he develops a relationship with Love. ‘That’s from me just being able to put my best foot forward every day. Just go out there and create that chemistry with him.’