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There have been good stories already from the Green Bay Packers' offseason work. And one rookie has everybody excited. And that dude is the Packers' single-best move in the 2025 NFL offseason.
Throughout the 2025 offseason, the Packers have been hard at work. They added wide receiver Mecole Hardman, offensive guard Aaron Banks, cornerback Nate Hobbs, kicker Brandon McManus, and linebacker Isaiah McDuffie.
Each of those moves looks like a good decision by the Packers’ organization. But when draft day came, they found Matthew Golden still on the board when it came their time to pick at No. 23.
Packers drafting WR Matthew Golden best move of offseason
Here is what ESPN’s Matt Miller had to say about getting Golden.
“After decades of not taking a wide receiver in Round 1, the Packers give the home crowd something to cheer about with a speedy pass-catcher who will immediately boost the team's big-play ability,” Miller wrote. “Golden led the FBS with 23 catches of 20-plus yards last season and had the fastest 40-yard time of any offensive player at the combine with a 4.29-second time. Green Bay has its quarterback in Jordan Love and a potent run game. Now it adds my WR2 in this class with Golden.”
Many NFL teams could be kicking themselves as the 2025 season rolls along. They will likely watch Golden become a key weapon for Love.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said he thinks the best is yet to come for the young wideout, according to yahoo.com.
“The one thing as we scouted him, he's a third-year junior coming out,” Gutekunst said. “He's a young guy. And his best football is ahead of him. He's still got a lot of room for growth. He's not at his ceiling.”
WR Matthew Golden getting good reviews
Carmen Vitali of Fox Sports said good things about Golden, according to the Best Podcast Available via yahoo.com.
“If he's treated like a true No. 1, which . . . Matt LaFleur last year was like, ‘I'm allergic to that phrase, I don't like that phrase,” Vitali said. “Well regardless, you're going to have to choose someone that Jordan Love can rely on. And if Matthew Golden can be that guy, live up to his draft position and all of that, I think that can go a long way.”
Golden could give that little something extra to a Packers’ passing game that created problems for defenses because of depth. But it didn’t have that one guy to scare people. Now, in Golden, they may have it.
“Green Bay's strength last year was that they had so many options,” Vitali said. “But when you couple in quarterback injuries, and injuries to those options where you're not fielding the same options, you're not fielding the same quarterback all the time, then whatever continuity you had gets completely lost. Because there's so many moving parts to that offense that when they're not all available at the same time, you can't into a rhythm, and that's what we saw last year out of Green Bay.”
What does 2025 look like with Matthew Golden in the lineup?
Green Bay made the playoffs in 2024. And at one point they were tabbed as a team that had similar Super Bowl hopes like the Eagles and Lions. But there was something missing.
Since they’ve improved their defense, it stands to reason that an offensive boost could push them past the Lions in the NFC North. And if that happens, the road to the Super Bowl might come through Lambeau Field.
Looking at history, Golden seems to be a good fit for early success, according to Sports Illustrated.
“I think the world’s changed a little bit,” Gutekunst said. “It always takes receivers a little bit of time to get going. It used to be kind of that end of Year 2, middle of Year 3 when things slowed down for them and they could really produce. We’ve had a lot of history where that happened.
“I think because of high school football and the way they throw it around. The 7-on-7s, and just some of the things have changed on the lower levels. Guys are coming in and making an impact quicker. And I certainly think Matthew has the opportunity to do that.”
Golden ran his 40 in a blazing 4.29 seconds at the Combine. That made him the fastest receiver in this year’s draft. However, he measured only 5-foot-11, which puts him in the 34th percentile at wide receiver.
So, as Gutenkunst pointed out, rookie receivers are making quicker impacts. But what about the fast and shorter ones?
Over the past 10 drafts, according to Stathead, 12 receivers have totaled over 1,000 yards. Ten have 80-plus receptions.
But here is an issue for Golden. Of those 12 receivers, 11 were 6-foot or taller. And of those getting 80-plus receptions, nine of the 10 were 6-foot or taller. To make it short and sweet, shorter receivers have a harder time making an immediate impact in the NFL.
“(Golden is) kind of above the Mendoza line (to play) outside (receiver) but not by much,” Gutekunst said, referring to a baseball comparison named after former Major League shortstop Mario Mendoza.
““Obviously, he has (great speed). You watch him, we thought arguably he had some of the best hands in the draft. Not only coming back to him and running through it but when he tracks it over his shoulder and stuff, too. He’s a strong athlete. He’s really versatile, and he’s going to do a lot of things. But we certainly felt that he could play outside and that would work for us.”
