GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Matthew Golden was well aware that the Green Bay Packers hadn’t selected a wide receiver in the first round of the NFL draft since 2002.
But that didn’t shake Golden’s confidence that his name would be called by the Packers.
The host team for this year’s draft selected the Texas star wide receiver at No. 23 overall on Thursday night.
“I definitely knew they didn’t take a receiver from that long ago,” Golden told reporters. “And I had a good relationship with ’em when I came up here on my visit. I got around the coaching staff and I seen how the culture was here and I enjoyed it.”
The previous time the Packers used their first-round pick to select a wide receiver was Javon Walker at 20th overall 23 years ago. In fact, this is just the sixth time in the past 20 years the Packers have used a first-round pick on an offensive player, which includes quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers (2005) and Jordan Love (2020).
Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy, who is retiring in July and announced the pick to the massive hometown crowd gathered outside Lambeau Field, made it a point to mention to the fans the long drought of not selecting a playmaker for the team’s quarterbacks.
“I really sent in a different name, but Mark just announced what he announced,” joked Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst.
Golden was one of 15 prospects in attendance at the draft. After being picked, Golden made his way from the green room to the draft stage where Green Bay fans greeted him with exuberant cheers.
“I never felt nothing like it,” Golden said. “Man, I wish I could go right back out there right now. It was so cool, the energy that the Packers’ fans got. I mean, I could just feel it and I’m just so excited to be here and I’m glad the organization picked me.”
Gutekunst had Golden come to Green Bay a couple of weeks before the draft; he made a great impression on Green Bay’s front office.
“Really excited to bring Matthew into the fold,” Gutekunst said. “I think he’s going to do a lot of things for us. Obviously, he’s a very gifted athlete, a gifted football player, but he’s also just wired exactly how we want our guys in the locker room. I think he’s a good fit.”
The 21-year-old Golden is coming off an excellent junior season in which he had 58 catches for 987 yards and nine touchdowns. During nine of Texas’ games, Golden averaged 20 yards per catch.
A speedster, clocking a 40-yard dash time of 4.29 seconds, Golden isn’t prototypical wide receiver size at 5-foot-11.
However, he has the ability to play all the receiving positions.
“He’s kind of above the Mendoza line for that outside, but not by much,” Gutekunst said. “Obviously, he has elite speed. His ability to stretch the field outside the numbers is really, really important. And when you watch him, we thought arguably he had some of the best hands in the draft.”
Golden joins a young but deep and talented Packers wide receiving group. Green Bay is looking for a true No. 1 receiver with Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton and Malik Heath all playing integral roles on last season’s team.
Reed was the Packers’ leading receiver in 2024 with 857 yards. Watson, who tore his ACL late in the season and is expected to miss a significant chunk of the 2025 season, added 620 yards and Doubs came through with 601 yards. Green Bay has not had a 1,000-yard receiver since Davante Adams in 2021.
Even with high expectations heading to Green Bay after the franchise used its top pick on him, Golden doesn’t feel any extra pressure to perform.
“God put me in this situation for a reason. He wouldn’t bring me here if I couldn’t handle it,” Golden said. “Like I said, I know it’s gonna come with a lot but that’s what I want. I want to be pushed. I want as much as I can get. I’m gonna put my best foot forward and I’m gonna make sure I always come out on top.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Greg Bates, The Associated Press
