There’s a lot of ink being spilled about whether or not Matthew Golden, the Green Bay Packers’ first-round pick, is being used correctly due to “his lack of production” through the first half of his rookie
NFL season. Are those expectations realistic, though? I want to take a look at that today.
So far in 2025, Golden has “only” recorded 23 receptions for 262 yards, which many believe is far too low for the fourth receiver off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft. How do those numbers rank among rookie receivers? In receptions, he ranks fifth. In yardage, he ranks fifth. As a reminder, there were 31 draft picks at the receiver position last April.
From a receiving yards per game standpoint, Golden also ranks fifth. The receivers ahead of him this season are Travis Hunter, Tetairoa McMillan and Emeka Egbuka, the three players at his position who were drafted ahead of him this year, and Elic Ayomanor.
When you add Golden’s eight carries for 45 yards (three of which were converted for first downs this season), Golden also has more yards from scrimmage per game (38.4) than Ayomanor (35.9) in 2025. For perspective, Hunter, the second overall pick who the Jacksonville Jaguars gave up multiple first-round picks to select, only averaged about five yards per game more than Golden before Hunter’s knee injury landed him on the injured reserve.
Hunter played 324 snaps for the Jaguars over seven games, 67 percent of the offense’s snaps over that time. Comparatively, Golden has played 307 snaps, 60 percent of the Packers’ offensive snaps through eight games.
I’m not sure what the expectations for Golden should be, but he’s performing like his draft status: the fourth-best receiver in the class.
Based on the Packers’ depth chart, there’s a really good chance that Golden ends up being the WR4 on the team whenever Jayden Reed returns to the lineup (expected to be around Thanksgiving).
Prior to Christian Watson being activated off the physically unable to perform list, both Golden and Dontayvion Wicks split time as outside receivers and spelled for Jayden Reed in the slot, while Romeo Doubs was a full-time outside receiver. When Reed went down, Golden eventually settled into a slot-prodominant role with Wicks handling outside receiver duties.
Now that Watson is back, though, the clear favorites to be outside receivers on the team are both Doubs and Watson, leaving Golden and Wicks to compete for rotational outside receiver snaps and slot reps. When Reed comes back, those opportunities will shrink even further.
Maybe it’s time to reset expectations for the rookie in a crowded receiver room, if you set the bar high for him coming into the year. The only rookie receivers putting up more yards than him this season were the players taken in front of him.
