Back on April 24, the opening of Round 1 of the NFL draft in Green Bay, wide receiver Matthew Golden appeared to take Packers fandom by storm. Not only was he the first wide receiver the Packers chose in the first round of the draft in 23 years, but he showed off the kind of cocksure swagger that is so common in WR1s around the NFL.
For a Packers franchise that went from too much depth in the wide receiver room entering the 2024 season to panicked about its lack of wide receiver depth by the end of the year, Golden appeared to be a panacea. Boasting 4.29 speed (fastest among all wide receivers, and second-fastest in his class) and a good bet to turn into what the NFL’s scout called a, “go-to playmaker,” Golden had Packers fans more than a little excited.
His story of having overcome homelessness to reach the league is added inspiration.
“Whenever I’m on the field, that’s when I feel great,” Golden told reporters. “I feel like nothing is stopping me from where I’m going, and I can just focus on football. It’s definitely something that’s keeping me motivated and keeping me grinding.”
Packers Incumbent WRs Could Be Problematic
That is certainly cause to root for Golden, but one problem may be that, before he has played even a down of NFL football, he may be getting hyped beyond what he’s earned. He is going to walk into a wide-receiver group that is already a bit testy, with Christian Watson out because of a knee injury, Romeo Doubs having conducted a one-game holdout because he was unhappy last year, and third-year mean Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks coming off disappointing seasons.
It’s not clear how, or whether, they will welcome a rookie who is supposed to be better than all of them.
At ESPN, they’re probably not helping that situation by feeding into the Golden hype. That was clear recently, when a variety of the network’s NFL personalities were asked to weigh in on the incoming rookie class around the league.
Matthew Golden a ‘Front-Line No. 1’ WR
Former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum went right to Golden, not only setting a high statistical bar, but declaring him the Packers’ WR1. “Golden will lead all rookie wide receivers in receiving yards. I expect Golden to quickly become the front-line No. 1 that LaFleur and Green Bay have wanted for years,” Tannenbaum noted.
Golden was the third receiver drafted in 2025, after two-way star Travis Hunter of the Jaguars and Tetairoa McMillan of the Panthers. Not only was Tannenbaum on Golden’s hype train, but ESPN writer Eric Moody was on board, too, putting Golden atop the 2025 rookie WRs.
Wrote Moody: “Green Bay wideout Matthew Golden will lead all rookies in receiving yards. I think Golden will outshine Hunter and Tetairoa McMillan in the 2025 season. It’s rare for the Packers to take a wide receiver in the first round, and Golden finds himself in an ideal situation with rising quarterback Jordan Love and offensive-minded coach Matt LaFleur. Could Golden be the 2025 version of Brian Thomas Jr.?”
