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Packers rookie Matthew Golden wastes no time showing why the team is so high on him and what his ceiling could be in 2025

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Wendell Ferreira | Last updated Jun 3, 2025 6:55 PM ET

Wide receivers can have immediate impact in the NFL these days, and the Green Bay Packers couldn't be more excited about what they have seen from first-round pick Matthew Golden. It's still fairly early in the process, but the first impressions from organized team activities (OTAs) are promising.

"I just like his approach, how he comes to work every day," head coach Matt LaFleur said. "He gives great effort, his attitude has been outstanding. Obviously he's a talented young player. Still get a lot to learn, but I think he's shown improvement every day."

Based on the reports from practice, it's evident how poised and polished Golden is, which bodes well for his early impact on the offense.

"Everything Matthew Golden does just looks natural. Routes, catching, returning - just born to do it." — Andy Herman, Pack a Day Podcast.

"Matthew Golden already making an impression. Caught an 11-yard out from Malik Willis on second-team offense during 2-minute drill. Bumped up to starters on next 2-minute series and caught 9-yard out from Jordan Love, one play before touchdown to Jayden Reed. What really stands out early is same thing everyone who's ever coached Golden has said: tremendous hands. Looks like a natural receiving the football." — Ryan Wood, USA Today

Strong hands

After a year full of problems with drops, it was natural for the Packers to look for a reliable receiver. And this was one of Golden's qualities that caught the front office's attention in the draft process.

"When you watch him, he arguably has some of the best hands in the draft," general manager Brian Gutekunst said after making the selection. "Not only coming back to it and running through it, but when he tracked it over his shoulder and stuff too. He's a strong athlete. He's versatile, he's gonna do a lot of things. But we certainly felt that he could play outside and that was important to us."

hand tied behind matthew golden's back pic.twitter.com/rCupvogX8V
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) March 25, 2025

When the pads come on, everyone will have a better understanding of what Matthew Golden can be as a rookie. But we only have so many things to base our evaluations on at this time of the year, and Golden has done everything he can to prove his value for the Packers.

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

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