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For the first time since 2002, the Green Bay Packers selected a wide receiver in the first round of the NFL draft. Over two decades after taking Javon Walker in the first round, the Packers selected Matthew Golden out of Texas with the 23rd overall pick on Thursday night.
The selection snaps the NFL's longest streak -- 23 years -- without a first-round receiver.
How crazy is this streak ending on Thursday night? Golden, who is 21 years old, wasn't even born the last time the Packers took a receiver in the first round. Walker was picked on April 20, 2002. Golden was born Aug. 1, 2003.
Golden became a big-time playmaker for Texas down the stretch last season, going over 100 receiving yards in wins over Georgia in the SEC title game and Arizona in the CFP quarterfinals. He then ran the 40-yard dash in 4.29 seconds at the combine, making him the fastest officially timed receiver in the draft class. He is young and ascending, with elite speed and an ability to create explosive plays as a No. 1 target.
Before Golden on Thursday night, the highest pick made by the Packers at wide receiver since Walker was Jordy Nelson with the 36th overall pick in the 2008 draft.
Watch Mark Murphy announce the pick from Green Bay:
Lance Zierlein's scouting report on Golden: "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."
Dane Brugler's scouting report on Golden: "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 insync. 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."
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers pick Texas WR Matthew Golden, snap 23-year streak without first-round WR
Continue reading...
The selection snaps the NFL's longest streak -- 23 years -- without a first-round receiver.
How crazy is this streak ending on Thursday night? Golden, who is 21 years old, wasn't even born the last time the Packers took a receiver in the first round. Walker was picked on April 20, 2002. Golden was born Aug. 1, 2003.
Golden became a big-time playmaker for Texas down the stretch last season, going over 100 receiving yards in wins over Georgia in the SEC title game and Arizona in the CFP quarterfinals. He then ran the 40-yard dash in 4.29 seconds at the combine, making him the fastest officially timed receiver in the draft class. He is young and ascending, with elite speed and an ability to create explosive plays as a No. 1 target.
Before Golden on Thursday night, the highest pick made by the Packers at wide receiver since Walker was Jordy Nelson with the 36th overall pick in the 2008 draft.
Watch Mark Murphy announce the pick from Green Bay:
Lance Zierlein's scouting report on Golden: "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."
Dane Brugler's scouting report on Golden: "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 insync. 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."
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers pick Texas WR Matthew Golden, snap 23-year streak without first-round WR
Continue reading...
