Will Speed Make Matthew Golden a ‘Stud’? Here’s First-Round History

Green Bay Packers first-round pick Matthew Golden, a player renowned for his speed, has made a fast impression on quarterback Jordan Love

“He’s a great dude,” Love said at his charity softball game in Grand Chute on Friday. “I’m excited to see his potential on the football field. But just the start we’ve had, doing routes on air and things like that, he looks like a stud, looks like a very polished receiver. So, I’m excited to see just how far he can take it.”

There are no absolutes in the NFL Draft at any position or in any round. However, first-round receivers with elite speed tend to take things far. At least some of the recent first-round picks. More on that in a moment.

At the 2025 Scouting Combine, Golden ran his 40-yard dash in 4.29 seconds, making him the fastest offensive player in this year’s draft.

Any player with elite speed tends to get drafted too soon. Speed, of course, doesn’t guarantee anything. In 2022, five receivers ran their 40 in 4.35 seconds or faster – with four of them taken in the second or third rounds. Combined, they caught 12 passes as rookies.

Here are the eight first-round picks with elite speed taken in the first round over the last 10 drafts.

2024 – Xavier Worthy, Chiefs (4.21): As a rookie, he caught 59 passes for 638 yards (10.8 average) and six touchdowns. He added 20 rushes for 104 yards and three more touchdowns.

2024 – Brian Thomas, Jaguars (4.33): As a rookie, Thomas was picked for the Pro Bowl. He caught 87 passes for 1,282 yards (14.7 average) and 10 touchdowns. It was one of the best seasons by a rookie receiver in NFL history. Thomas has elite size, too; Golden is only 5-foot-11, which could matter.

2021 – JaMarr Chase, Bengals (4.34): Chase wasted no time in putting his career on a Hall of Fame trajectory. As a rookie, he caught 81 passes for 1,455 yards (18.0 average) and 13 touchdowns. Highlighted by his league-leading figures in catches, yards and touchdowns in 2024, he has 5,425 receiving yards and 46 touchdowns in four seasons.

2020 – Henry Ruggs, Raiders (4.27): Ruggs caught 26 passes for 452 yards (17.4 average) and two touchdowns as a rookie. In seven games in 2021, he caught 24 passes for 469 yards (19.5 average) and two touchdowns in seven games. He was arrested for a fatal DUI crash, released and imprisoned.

2017 – John Ross, Bengals (4.22): Injuries and poor play buried Ross on the depth chart and limited him to three games as a rookie. He caught 0-of-2 targets. Ross was out of the league in 2022, briefly retired in 2023 and came back to play in one game in 2024. He has 63 career receptions and is not on a roster.

2016 – Will Fuller, Texans (4.32): Fuller caught 47 passes for 635 yards (13.5 average) and two touchdowns as a rookie. His 2021 season ended with a broken thumb, and he never played in another game. In six seasons, he finished with 213 receptions for 3,136 yards and 24 touchdowns.

2015: Phillip Dorsett, Colts (4.33): Dorsett caught 18 passes for 225 yards (12.5 average) and one touchdown in 11 games as a rookie. In eight seasons that included stints with six teams, he finished his career with 151 receptions for 2,001 yards and 12 touchdowns.

2015: Kevin White, Bears (4.35): Injuries ruined White’s career. In four games as a rookie, he caught 19 passes for 187 yards (9.8 average) and zero touchdowns. The catches and yards wound up being career highs, and he failed to score a touchdown in 30 games in six seasons.

Going back another decade, Julio Jones (4.34 in 2011) and Calvin Johnson (4.35 in 2007) had Hall of Fame careers and Brandin Cooks (4.33 in 2014) had a good career; Tavon Austin (4.34 in 2013), Darrius Heyward-Bey (4.30 in 2009) and Troy Williamson (4.32 in 2005) did not.

Regardless of Golden’s stopwatch speed, the Packers need him to get up to speed in a hurry. The process will continue with the start of OTAs on Tuesday.

For what it’s worth, no matter the 40-yard time, 44 receivers were selected in the first round over the last 10 drafts. As rookies, eight had at least 1,000 yards and another eight had at least 800 yards. Seventeen receivers had at least 60 receptions and 12 had at least six touchdowns.

“The speed speaks for itself,” Love said. “Running a 40-yard dash, any time you get a 4.2, that’s some blazing speed right there, so I’m excited to see how fast he is on the field,” Love said. “I’ve seen all the highlights, all the good stuff, so we’ll see once we get practice rolling and everything how good he is.”