It’s always good to see your team’s first-round pick get off to a strong start in training camp, but it’s important to keep expectations reasonable.
But I don’t want to.
The Green Bay Packers knew they’d create hype when they took Matthew Golden in the first round of their hometown draft, the franchise’s first first-round wide receiver since 2002. Expectations are higher than a kite for Golden, and fans are craving to see what Golden can do.
How about a 55-ish-yard TD in pads? That do anything for ya?
Golden had the play of the day at Tuesday’s training camp practice, breaking past the defense for the offense’s biggest play of the summer.
He’s already showing the skills that could make him an X-factor and garnering praise from his teammates and coaches. You don’t want to overhype your players before they’ve played a snap in an actual NFL game, but Golden stock is on the rise, and we’re seeing what the first-rounder can be capable of early in his career.
Golden is standing out in the right ways in practice. His approach to his game and his desire to improve are apparent, and it’s already on display.
His touchdown on Tuesday was exactly what you want to see from the talented speedster. Golden gained beautiful separation on a double move that got him past Nate Hobbs and Evan Williams and put him in position to be where Jordan Love needed him.
Not only was it a beautiful play, but it was built on the back of a similar play in a previous practice that didn’t go his way.
“I did something different today that I didn’t do, and I gave a little bit more to that route, and it led to a big play,” Golden said. “For me, it’s just about perfecting my craft each and every day, one day at a time, trying something different.”
The growth made his quarterback happy, with Love singing Golden’s praises following practice.
“That’s one of his specialties that I’ve seen so far, just the aggressiveness with his hands, and always going up there to high-point the ball,” he said. “He’s got very strong hands, and he’s able to go up and compete for that ball. I think that’s one of the things that’s going to separate him.”
“The playmaking ability is there. You see that,” Love added. “When the ball is in the air, he’s going to go get it and make that play.”
Rookies often look good in practice but struggle once the games start as they adjust to more complex schemes and more physical competition. Still, we’ve entered an era where wide receivers are adjusting quickly and making statements early in their careers, something Brian Gutekunst noted on Tuesday.
“I do think sometimes the players we’re getting here now are a little more accustomed to adjusting quickly,” he said of Golden. “He’s really smart. Again, another one of our guys that adjusted well.”
Even with a shiny “golden” new receiver, the Packers still want to spread the ball to multiple targets and play matchups rather than force it to any single player. It’s highly unrealistic to expect Golden to put up 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns, no matter how good he looks.
But Tuesday’s big play is an example of what Golden can do for the offense. He can get open, be where Love needs him to be, and move the chains with aggressive catches. Golden might be on the smaller side for a Packers wideout, but he doesn’t play like it.
Drops plagued the Packers last season, and receivers weren’t aggressive enough coming down with the ball. If Golden continues to play like this, he can give Love a safety net receiver for critical moments.
As he progresses and builds his route tree, Golden has the skills to become “the guy” for Love. However, even at this early stage, it already appears that Golden can be a reliable source to make conversions when needed. Even if the Packers only target him a few times per game, he can make a difference.
“It’s starting to slow down for me,” said Golden. “It’s starting to feel like I can go out there and just play and have fun, not have to think about what I need to do. It’s just going out there getting open, knowing my assignment and alignment.”
The rookie is bound to make some mistakes, as all rookies (and all players in general) are wont to do. Hopefully, Golden can build off his success and be a terror through the rest of training camp and the preseason, which will earn him more early targets in September. We can’t expect him to become “WR1” immediately, but he’s showing the right kind of skills to be a major factor early in his NFL career.
