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Former NFL GM makes bold prediction about Packers' Matthew Golden and how he stacks up against the top rookie wide receivers

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Wendell Ferreira | Last updated May 13, 2025 11:29 AM ET

If the Green Bay Packers usually prefer developmental players with a high ceiling, that was not their approach with their first-round pick in 2025. They finally broke a two-decade trend of not taking a wide receiver in the first round, and by doing so, the team selected a pro ready Matthew Golden.

In an ESPN article with predictions for the 2025 season and how the rookies will perform, former New York Jets general manager and Miami Dolphins executive vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum said he expects immediate impact from Golden for the Packers.

"Golden will lead all rookie wide receivers in receiving yards. I expect Golden to quickly become the front-line No. 1 that LaFleur and Green Bay have wanted for years." — Mike Tannenbaum.

Recent track record

While Matthew Golden was just the fourth wide receiver taken in this year's class after Travis Hunter, Tetairoa McMillan, and Emeka Egbuka, there is a recent precedent for that.

In 2024, Brian Thomas Jr. was also the 23rd overall pick, also the fourth wide receiver selected, and he led all rookies in receiving yards (1,282), ahead of Malik Nabers (1,204), Marvin Harrison Jr. (885), and Rome Odunze (734), who had all been drafted before him.

The most difficult part for Matthew Golden is that, different from Thomas, he will enter a crowded wide receiver room on the Packers. Green Bay also has Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks to split targets, while on the 2024 Jaguars no other player reached 500 yards. The second wide receiver on the Jags last season was Parker Washington, with only 390 receiving yards—tight end Brenton Strange had 411.

Brian Thomas was a more productive college player too. In his final season at LSU, he had 1,177 yards and 17 touchdowns. Matthew Golden had 987 yards and nine touchdowns at Texas.

Despite the limited production, Golden enters the NFL as a relatively polished player. And with Christian Watson out of the first part of the season recovering from a knee injury, the rookie can have a decisive role for the Packers—perhaps, establishing himself as the true WR1 the Packers lack, and competing with other prospects to make the All-Rookie Team. By the way, the Packers haven't had a wide receiver making it since Greg Jennings in 2006—which shows us how big of an outlier this decision has been for Green Bay.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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