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When the Green Bay Packers selected Matthew Golden and Savion Williams, the wide receiver room continues to grow. For general manager Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur, they were ecstatic.
The latter explained more of his admiration for Golden after the NFL Combine and his Pro Day.
“Obviously, Golden ran what he ran,” LaFleur said via Rob Demovsky of ESPN. “Anytime a guy is breaking sub-4.3s, you know he's legitimately fast,” LaFleur said. “I think what's so attractive about a guy like Golden is not only is he's fast, but he's got, I'd say, elite hands.
“And then Savion, I can't remember exactly, mid-4.4s, 4.47 or something like that, but he did that three weeks after coming off an injury or three weeks of training. What his true speed is, I don't think we truly know.”
Luckily, Gutekunst thought the same, but gave his initial thoughts about taking two receivers in the first three rounds.
“I didn't think I'd be up here talking about taking two receivers,” said Gutekunst after taking Williams at No. 87 overall.
Matthew Golden, Savion Williams have impressed the Packers
As both Gutekunst and LaFleur mentioned, both receivers impressed them. For Golden, he was one of the top receivers in the SEC. His big-play ability and blazing speed were intriguing.
The same goes for Williams. The TCU standout made the Horned Frogs offense that much more explosive. Furthermore, running a 4.48 after sustaining an injury weeks before is beyond impressive.
Still, this presents an interesting question for the team.
Who will be the Packers' No. 1 receiver? After running back Josh Jacobs posed that question, they might have their two. Even though guys like Jayden Reed and Christian Watson have proven potential, this might be more of a security option.
No matter what, Gutekunst and LaFleur are impressed with who they landed. Most notably with Golden, he was the No. 1 option with Texas football, which went all the way to the Cotton Bowl.
Could the skill immediately translate over?
Possibly. However, you can never teach speed, and both Golden and Williams have that.
Beating players over the top might be the go-to move for LaFleur. It could help him unlock the offense, and have some of those proven receivers operate over the middle of the field.
At the end of the day, there might be more of a chance for the rookies to make an immediate statement. There is no No. 1 receiver, and Williams and Golden could cement themselves in that role.
