The Green Bay Packers have set themselves up to potentially select the best player available, regardless of need, with the No. 23 overall pick in this spring’s draft.
Thanks in large part to general manager Brian Gutekunst and the front office’s savvy drafting and player development in recent years, the Packers have built on of the youngest rosters in the league, with plenty of upside from here.
Gutekunst has largely deployed a strategy of committing to adding skill players on offense to help accelerate quarterback Jordan Love’s development, as illustrated by selecting the likes of tight ends Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave as well as wide receivers Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks, limiting the franchise’s need to become big spenders to add talent in free agency.
Could Matthew Golden be the next Green Bay Packers playmaker?
The Packers may wind up continuing that trend in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday night.
That’s exactly how ESPN NFL analyst Peter Schrager’s NFL mock draft plays out, with the Packers selecting Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden at No. 23 overall.
“I know it’s out of character for Green Bay to take a receiver in Round 1,” Schrager admits. “They haven’t done it since 2002 — but in this scenario, Golden could slide right to them. And I can’t see him sliding much more.
“Green Bay could go in several directions. I doubt anyone thought the Packers could get the consensus top wideout on many boards, though.”
Golden was the definition of an electrifying playmaker at the University of Texas, where he caught 58 passes for 987 yards and nine touchdowns, while averaging 17 yards per reception. Meanwhile, Golden’s speed shined through not only on film but also at the NFL Combine where he ran the 40-yard dash in a blazing 4.39 seconds.
“He seems faster than he is skilled,” an NFL offensive coach told me recently, of Golden. “But he has massive big-play ability. Could use some development to reach his potential.”
Golden’s big play potential could be exactly what the Packers need to elevate an offense that will likely be without Watson and is still looking for its spark at receiver in 2025.
