GREEN BAY − The Green Bay Packers selected wide receiver Matthew Golden with the 23rd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Here is a look at the newest Packer.
Will Matthew Golden be a replacement for Christian Watson?
PackersNews.com Analysis: “I never thought he’d be there. Guys who run 4.29 and don’t drop the ball are pretty valuable. Now, he doesn’t have the height. He’s Jayden Reed with blazing speed. But I watched a bunch of tape on him. He doesn’t play as fast as 4.29, but he runs really good routes, is really under control, seemed to know how to sit down in zones and played all over the field. I think there are going to be ways they’ll be able to use him on jet sweeps and screens. When I saw him, he just looked like he knew what he was doing with how he positioned his hands, moved back for the ball. He could be better after the catch. He doesn’t have great YAC despite the speed.But he’s 191 pounds, so he’s not slight.” − Tom Silverstein
Matthew Golden height, weight
Golden is listed at 5-foot-11 and 191 pounds.
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Matthew Golden’s 40-yard dash time
Golden ran a 4.29-second 40-yard dash at the 2025 NFL scouting combine.
How old is Matthew Golden?
Golden is 21 years old.
Where is Matthew Golden from?
Golden is from Houston, Texas, and went to Klein Cain High School.
Matthew Golden highlights
Golden played one season at Texas, catching 58 passes for 987 yards and nine TDs. He played the previous two seasons at Houston, catching 76 passes for 988 yards and 13 TDs.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein’s take on Matthew 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.”
Matthew Golden on the Packers
“I had a good relationship with them when I came up here on my visit. I got around the coaching staff and I seen how the culture was here, and I enjoyed it.”
“It definitely means a lot more. It’s always been a dream of mine to go in the first round, and to know that they haven’t picked a receiver since 2002, man, it’s truly a blessing.”
Packers GM Brian Gutekunst on Matthew Golden
“Obviously, he has elite speed. His ability to stretch the field outside the numbers is really, really important. And when you watch him, we thought arguably he had some of the best hands in the draft. Not only coming back to it and running through it, but when he tracks it over his shoulder and stuff, too. He’s a strong athlete, he’s really versatile, he’s going to be doing a lot of things, but certainly felt that he could play outside, and that was important to us.”
“Authentic and genuine. This guy’s been through some things in his young life, and come out the other side of it. I think he was just very authentic and genuine, he knows who he is. He loves football, and I think he’s going to be a great teammate around here.”
