Who could forget Mark Murphy’s iconic moment during the 2025 NFL Draft, when he took the stage to announce the Green Bay Packers’ first-round pick? The slight pause just after he said “wide receiver” was perfect — just enough to let the crowd erupt.
With the 25th pick, Green Bay selected Matthew Golden. He was the fastest player at the combine, clocking a 4.29. The Packers also believed he had the best hands in the class. Combine those two traits, and with the right development, he looked like a star in the making.
“He’s a very gifted athlete, gifted football player, but he’s also wired exactly how we want our guys in the locker room,” Gutekunst said after drafting Golden.
“Obviously, he has elite speed. His ability to stretch the field outside the numbers is really, really important,” Gutekunst said about Golden playing on the perimeter. “And when you watch him, we thought he arguably had some of the best hands in the draft. Not only coming back to it and running through it, but when he tracked it over his shoulder. He’s a strong athlete. He’s really versatile, he’s going to do a lot of things, but we thought he could play outside, and that was important to us.”
That said, it’s been astonishing to watch how Green Bay has used him. The approach makes little sense.
He ranks seventh on the team in targets, yet he is the third wide receiver on the roster in games played, appearing in 12. Golden is also averaging just 1.47 yards per route run, which also ranks seventh on the team.
Golden’s speed can be a valuable asset in the horizontal game, but he has not been effective on jet sweeps or end-arounds. The Packers are limiting him to a role once occupied by receivers like Tavon Austin — except Golden is a far more polished wideout. Everyone seems to know that, except, you know, the Packers.
At this point, it borders on mismanagement. Golden ranks fourth on the team in targets on throws traveling at least 20 yards downfield, trailing players like Dontayvion Wicks and Romeo Doubs — neither of whom is a true deep threat. Statistically, this underutilizes one of the fastest and most athletic receivers on the roster.
While it’s understandable that Green Bay prioritizes giving Christian Watson deep-shot opportunities, Golden’s speed merits more structured looks downfield, such as post routes or go routes. I’m not suggesting that the Packers have both receivers attack deep simultaneously. Instead, it’s about incorporating Golden into vertical concepts to maximize the offense’s efficiency and leverage his skill set.
Sure, the Packers rushed for over 40 times in Chicago, but just last week, Matt LaFleur took the podium after the game against the Denver Broncos and said the team needed to find a way to get Golden more opportunities. He simply should not follow that up by having Golden finish with a zero-target game.
Hesitation to target Golden would be understandable if he were struggling, but the data tells a different story. Pro Football Focus credits him with zero drops this year, and he ranks second on the team in contested-catch rate. In other words, when the Packers target Golden, he consistently converts opportunities. The problem isn’t his production — it’s that the offense isn’t scheming to leverage one of its most efficient and reliable receivers.
We’ll be 17 weeks into the season when Green Bay takes the field next, so they’re unlikely to change their approach. That said, it’s been frustrating to see the team not use their first-round pick to his full potential. Matt LaFleur is a great offensive mind, and if anyone can find a way to incorporate Golden into the game plan, it’s him. But at this point, it may be too little, too late for Golden to make a significant impact in 2025.
