Green Bay Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden (0) catches a fourth quarter first down pass against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, October 12, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.Green Bay defeated Cincinnati 27-18. Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
The Packers bet big on rookie Matthew Golden’s speed becoming a game-changing weapon, but that never quite developed for the first-round pick.
Initially buried on the depth chart behind the likes of Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and eventually Christian Watson, Golden’s season was also limited by injuries that stunted his development and limited his impact on Green Bay’s run towards the NFC North crown that was eventually won by the Chicago Bears.
As the NFL Playoffs are set to begin, some hard truths were revealed about Golden and the rest of the Packers’ draft class.
Matthew Golden wasn’t used enough by Packers
Over at Pro Football Focus, Ben Cooper put together a list of each team’s most impactful rookie, with Golden getting the nod for the Packers, despite failing to fill the stat sheet.
“One wouldn’t assume that Golden was the Packers’ most impactful rookie by looking at a stat sheet,” Cooper writes for PFF. “It’s true that his box score — 29 catches for 361 yards and no touchdowns — tells the story of his season, though: Green Bay didn’t use him much.
“The Packers sent just 40 targets his way during the regular season, the fewest for a rookie first-round wide receiver (minimum 200 receiving snaps) since Darrius Heyward-Bey’s 38 in 2009. Yet, no rookie receiver who saw more than 25 catchable targets this regular season hauled in a higher percentage of passes than Golden (96.7%). He did what he could on his meager workload, earning a 68.1 PFF receiving grade.”
While the former University of Texas speedster showed some flashes in his first season, Green Bay is going to need to make more of a concerted effort to get him involved in the game plan in 2026 to maximize the damage he’s able to inflict on opposing defenses.
Golden’s numbers as a rookie left much to be desired, but the fact that no other member of Green Bay’s draft class managed to make more of an impact should also be a cause for concern for the Packers, moving forward.
