Matthew Golden Turns Heads at Green Bay Packers Training Camp

How Matthew Golden Got Here

Golden recently finished his collegiate career with the Texas Longhorns, where he spent only one season in Austin, but it was the best season of his career.

Golden first attended Houston for his freshman and sophomore seasons, where he totaled 988 receiving yards on 76 receptions with 13 touchdowns. In 2023, Golden's career with the Cougars was cut short, playing nine games for Houston. The future first-rounder suffered a foot injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season.

An offseason later, Golden found himself in Austin, playing for the Longhorns. He had the best single-season performance of his college career with 58 receptions for 987 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 2024. His time at Texas included more than just impressive stats, but big-moment plays such as his fourth-and-13, 28-yard touchdown catch in the college football playoffs against Arizona State to send the game to double overtime and keep the Longhorns' season alive.

A few months later, Golden found himself the third wide receiver drafted in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft and became the first wide receiver drafted by the Packers in the first round since 2002.

Golden will be a weapon for Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who threw for 3,389 yards last season and 25 touchdowns. According to ESPN, the Packers' current depth chart would list Golden as the No. 2 wide receiver, sitting behind Green Bay's Jayden Reed, who finished the 2024 season with 857 receiving yards and six touchdowns. No Packers wide receiver eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards last season.

The Packers' first game of the year comes against one of the toughest opponents in the NFC, the Detroit Lions. Green Bay lost both of its games to the Lions last season and hopes that a new weapon like Golden may provide a new edge against the divisional rival.