No one seems to know exactly what the Green Bay Packers have in wide receiver Matthew Golden following his quiet rookie campaign. However, many are curious to discover if he can live up to his lofty pedigree.
The runway has been cleared for Golden to be a key piece of the Packers' offense, which puts significant pressure on him to succeed. Yet, the jury remains out on his ability to handle such a prominent role, as Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic highlighted.
Golden cracked Baumgardner's list of 2025 first-round draft choices ($) who "still have to prove they’re capable of performing to the level of their selection."
"It's pretty clear Green Bay is ready to see what Golden can do as a starting member of the offense," Baumgardner wrote. "Despite being on the smaller side, Golden [5-foot-10, 191 pounds] plays like a faster and more explosive version of Jayden Reed. He's a great ball-tracker who wins in the air and knows how to get open."
The pressure on Packers WR Matthew Golden is heating up fast
Green Bay has told us they have big plans for Golden in 2026, as evidenced by their actions. Letting Romeo Doubs leave for the New England Patriots in free agency was the first indicator. Then, roughly a month later, Dontayvion Wicks was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.
It's quite a leap of faith from the Packers. They're going from using Golden sparingly to throwing him in the deep end and finding out if he can sink or swim. One way or another, his development (or lack thereof) will have a massive influence on the club's outlook.
As the first Round 1 wideout taken by the Packers since Javon Walker in 2002, Golden is under the gun to reach his potential. Green Bay needs the Texas product to show he's ready to be a difference-maker. Especially since star tight end Tucker Kraft continues to recover from a torn ACL suffered this past November.
The Packers are set to rely on last year's No. 23 overall pick early and often. To what end, though? Golden's a buzzy name, except he's merely a concept right now, like Baumgardner touched on.
"Golden will be on many breakout-candidate lists this summer," but "whether or not he makes good on that promise" is to be determined, Baumgardner expressed.
Across 14 games last season (excluding playoffs), Golden recorded 29 receptions for 361 scoreless yards. His best performance notably came in the Packers' Wild Card loss to the Chicago Bears, so that's an encouraging sign for what lies ahead.
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