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The Green Bay Packers selected Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden in the first round (No. 23 overall) of the 2025 NFL draft.
Breakdown: Spent two years at Houston before transferring to Texas in 2024. Led the Longhorns in receiving (987 yards, nine touchdowns). Exploded down the stretch, producing over 100 receiving yards in the SEC title game and CFP quarterfinal. Elite speed, ran 4.29 in the 40 and was the fastest receiver at the combine. Fast, but also fluid. Can drop weight at the top of routes and has instant stop-start acceleration. Caught 76 passes across two seasons at Houston -- hauled in seven touchdown passes as a true freshman and returned two kicks for touchdowns. Not the biggest receiver at 5-11 and 191 pounds but the Packers think he can play on the perimeter and in the slot. Natural hands catcher who can win contested catches, especially along the sideline and in the red zone. Field-stretching speed. Second in receptions of at least 20 yards among Power-4 players in 2024.
Unpacking Future Packers: Texas WR Matthew Golden
Packers Wire film room: Matthew Golden
Dane Brugler’s scouting report: “A one-year starter at Texas, Golden was the Z receiver in head coach Steve Sarkisian's RPO pro-style spread offense and was used across the formation with heavy motions (76.1 percent of snaps wide, 23.9 percent in the slot). After two promising seasons in Houston's Air Raid scheme, he was an underrated addition for the Longhorns in 2024 and proved especially valuable when it mattered most, averaging 102.8 receiving yards over his final four games (SEC championship and three playoff games). Fluid in and out of his breaks, Golden shows a plan as a route runner — I love his ability to break down corners by keeping his eyes, hips and feet in sync. That coordination also translates to the catch point with his very natural ball skills to track, frame and finish. Overall, it might bother some teams that he doesn't have better size, but Golden also doesn't have any glaring flaws to his game that would keep him from becoming a productive pro. He can play inside or outside and become the go-to target for an NFL offense."
Daniel Jeremiah's scouting report: "Golden has average size, but he plays with tremendous polish, instincts and toughness. He spends a lot of time operating out of the slot. He can defeat press coverage with quickness or strength. He understands how to tempo routes and sets up defenders down the field. He can change gears when the ball goes up and he tracks it naturally. He does a nice job of staying grounded through the catch when working on crossers. He has the utmost confidence in his ball skills. After the catch, he is very strong/sturdy to pull through tackles and he can make defenders miss in space. I love his temperament on the field -- he plays with an edge. Overall, Golden doesn’t have dynamic traits, but he’s a natural football player and a quarterback’s best friend. He’s dependable."
Lance Zierlein's scouting report: "Golden works all three levels of the field with similar consistency and productivity. His route-running needs refinement, but he does a decent job of altering tempo and separating at break points. Golden has the ability to play all three receiver spots. He also has the agility and body control to turn near-misses into highlight catches. Focus drops still pepper his play, but he’s a willing participant in traffic and took command of contested catches with better physicality and catch strength in 2024. Golden’s starting-level traits and big leap forward as a go-to playmaker have him primed to become a productive catch-maker with the potential to develop into a WR1 in the future.:
They said it: "He's fast. Really athletic. Excellent hands. And I just think he's a Packer. He's the kind of guy we want in the locker room. He's going to fit in with our guys…he's a lot more than just a fast guy. Can get in and out of his breaks, gets open against man coverage, has excellent hands. Very versatile player, can play inside and can play outside, can do some kick returning as well. He's a guy that can help us in a lot of ways. " -- GM Brian Gutekunst
ESPN highlights
Tape breakdown
Every touch, target 2024
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Green Bay Packers 2025 first-round pick: WR Matthew Golden
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Profile
- Height: 5-11
- Weight: 191
- Age: 21
- From: Houston, TX
- College profile
Breakdown: Spent two years at Houston before transferring to Texas in 2024. Led the Longhorns in receiving (987 yards, nine touchdowns). Exploded down the stretch, producing over 100 receiving yards in the SEC title game and CFP quarterfinal. Elite speed, ran 4.29 in the 40 and was the fastest receiver at the combine. Fast, but also fluid. Can drop weight at the top of routes and has instant stop-start acceleration. Caught 76 passes across two seasons at Houston -- hauled in seven touchdown passes as a true freshman and returned two kicks for touchdowns. Not the biggest receiver at 5-11 and 191 pounds but the Packers think he can play on the perimeter and in the slot. Natural hands catcher who can win contested catches, especially along the sideline and in the red zone. Field-stretching speed. Second in receptions of at least 20 yards among Power-4 players in 2024.
Scouting reports
Unpacking Future Packers: Texas WR Matthew Golden
Packers Wire film room: Matthew Golden
Dane Brugler’s scouting report: “A one-year starter at Texas, Golden was the Z receiver in head coach Steve Sarkisian's RPO pro-style spread offense and was used across the formation with heavy motions (76.1 percent of snaps wide, 23.9 percent in the slot). After two promising seasons in Houston's Air Raid scheme, he was an underrated addition for the Longhorns in 2024 and proved especially valuable when it mattered most, averaging 102.8 receiving yards over his final four games (SEC championship and three playoff games). Fluid in and out of his breaks, Golden shows a plan as a route runner — I love his ability to break down corners by keeping his eyes, hips and feet in sync. That coordination also translates to the catch point with his very natural ball skills to track, frame and finish. Overall, it might bother some teams that he doesn't have better size, but Golden also doesn't have any glaring flaws to his game that would keep him from becoming a productive pro. He can play inside or outside and become the go-to target for an NFL offense."
Daniel Jeremiah's scouting report: "Golden has average size, but he plays with tremendous polish, instincts and toughness. He spends a lot of time operating out of the slot. He can defeat press coverage with quickness or strength. He understands how to tempo routes and sets up defenders down the field. He can change gears when the ball goes up and he tracks it naturally. He does a nice job of staying grounded through the catch when working on crossers. He has the utmost confidence in his ball skills. After the catch, he is very strong/sturdy to pull through tackles and he can make defenders miss in space. I love his temperament on the field -- he plays with an edge. Overall, Golden doesn’t have dynamic traits, but he’s a natural football player and a quarterback’s best friend. He’s dependable."
Lance Zierlein's scouting report: "Golden works all three levels of the field with similar consistency and productivity. His route-running needs refinement, but he does a decent job of altering tempo and separating at break points. Golden has the ability to play all three receiver spots. He also has the agility and body control to turn near-misses into highlight catches. Focus drops still pepper his play, but he’s a willing participant in traffic and took command of contested catches with better physicality and catch strength in 2024. Golden’s starting-level traits and big leap forward as a go-to playmaker have him primed to become a productive catch-maker with the potential to develop into a WR1 in the future.:
They said it: "He's fast. Really athletic. Excellent hands. And I just think he's a Packer. He's the kind of guy we want in the locker room. He's going to fit in with our guys…he's a lot more than just a fast guy. Can get in and out of his breaks, gets open against man coverage, has excellent hands. Very versatile player, can play inside and can play outside, can do some kick returning as well. He's a guy that can help us in a lot of ways. " -- GM Brian Gutekunst
New uniform: No. 22
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Player highlights
ESPN highlights
Tape breakdown
Every touch, target 2024
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Green Bay Packers 2025 first-round pick: WR Matthew Golden
Continue reading...
