For the first time since 2002, the Green Bay Packers selected a wide receiver in round one of the NFL Draft on Thursday night. The Packers used their 23rd pick to select Matthew Golden out of Texas.
With the draft taking place in Green Bay, the crowd couldn’t have been more stoked when team president Mark Murphy announced that the Packers would be taking a wide receiver. A moment many fans will likely remember for a long time, the Packers ended the drought.
Matthew Golden embraced his moment, taking the stage and yelling “Let’s go!”. Even in the moment, the newly drafted Packer made an attempt to ignite the crowd by saying “Green Bay on 3!”. The crowd, of course, cooperated. The Texas product will soon know the famous “Go Pack Go”.
In 2002, the Packers selected wide receiver Javon Walker. Newly acquired Matthew Golden was born in 2003 and was fully aware of the significance of his selection by Green Bay at 23.
“I definitely knew they didn’t take a receiver from that long ago” stated Golden. Golden was held for a pre-draft visit by the Packers.
The Packers also hosted several other projected first round receivers. Tetairoa McMillan, who was drafted by the Panthers at pick 8, and Emeka Egbuka who was drafted by the Buccaneers at pick 19, both had pre-draft visits with the Packers. Despite many last-minute mocks that predicted a corner at 23 for Green Bay, Golden was the guy.
Golden measured in at 5’11 and 191 pounds. Despite not being the biggest receiver, he can fly. Golden ran his 40-yard dash in 4.29 seconds which was the fastest for any receiver in the 2025 draft.
Golden began his college career at the University of Houston where he spent two seasons before transferring to the University of Texas. In 2022 at Houston, he grabbed 38 catches for 584 yards and 7 touchdowns. In 2023 at Houston, he grabbed 38 catches for 404 yards and 6 touchdowns.
In his final season of his college career at Texas, Golden had 58 catches for 987 yards and 9 touchdowns, and made his presence known during the Longhorn’s journey during the College Football Playoff.
In the SEC Championship Game against Georgia, Golden had eight receptions for 162 yards, averaging 20.3 yards per catch. In the College Football Playoff against Arizona State, Golden had 7 catches for 149 yards and one touchdown.
“I accepted whatever role Texas had for me. I took a lot of pride in helping our offense.” That kind of character and eagerness is something the Packers take pride in. After the selection, General Manager Brian Gutekunst had much to say about Matthew Golden.
“This guy has been through some things now in his young life and came out the other side of it. He knows who he is. He loves football. And I think he’s going to be a great teammate around here.”
Gutekunst even confirmed after the first round that teams were attempting to trade up to 23 but the Packers did not want to risk losing Golden, “We got a player we all really wanted.”
When asked about playing on the perimeter Gutekunst added, “He’s a strong athlete. He’s really versatile, he’s going to do a lot of things, but we thought he could play outside, and that was important to us.”
“I really sent in a different name, but Mark just announced what he announced,” Gutekunst jokingly added. It is certainly evident that Brian Gutekunst is excited about Matthew Golden.
Not only did Mark Murphy enjoy announcing the pick but Golden also had some praise for the fans when his name was called. “I never felt nothing like it. 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.”
When asked about Jordan Love, Golden mentioned “I’m letting him know as soon as I see him, Man, you got a reliable target. You can trust me.” With this pick, the Packers have provided another target for Love, and it’s a QB-WR connection that will likely be in Green Bay for years to come.
