Matthew Golden: How the Texas WR Became a Packers First-Round Pick

Matthew Golden once talked openly about how special it would be to play professional football in his home state. Growing up in Texas, spending his first two college seasons at Houston and later becoming a leading receiver for the Texas Longhorns made the idea of joining the Dallas Cowboys feel almost storybook.

Before the 2025 NFL Draft, Golden said playing for Dallas would be a blessing. He had grown up following both the Houston Texans and Cowboys, so remaining in Texas would have carried obvious personal meaning.

The draft ultimately sent his career in a different direction.

Green Bay selected Golden with the 23rd overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The selection made him the first wide receiver taken by the Packers in the opening round since Javon Walker in 2002. It also completed a rapid climb for a receiver who had spent two seasons at Houston before transferring to Texas and producing the strongest year of his college career.

Golden did not get the home-state NFL destination he once imagined, but he received something equally significant: the opportunity to become a first-round pick for one of football’s most historic franchises.

Matthew Golden Grew Up With Texas Football Around Him

Golden’s connection to Texas was never manufactured for draft season.

He grew up in the Houston area and played high school football in Klein, Texas. Football culture surrounded him, and naturally he paid attention to the state’s two NFL organizations.

That background made his comments about the Cowboys easy to understand.

Before the draft, Golden explained that he had followed both the Texans and Cowboys while growing up. The possibility of Dallas selecting him would have allowed him to continue a football journey that had almost entirely taken place inside his home state.

Golden had already spent his college career representing two Texas programs.

He started at the University of Houston before eventually transferring to the University of Texas. At each stop, he showed different parts of the skill set that eventually made NFL teams take notice.

His journey also meant that by the time he reached the draft, Golden had played football in familiar surroundings for most of his life.

The NFL changed that.

Green Bay became the first major football destination to take him far away from home, and it came with the expectations attached to being a first-round selection.

His Houston Years Built the Foundation

Golden began his college career at Houston in 2022.

He immediately showed that he could contribute as a young receiver, appearing in 11 games during his freshman season and starting eight of them. He caught 38 passes for 584 yards and seven touchdowns.

That first season gave a glimpse of the scoring ability that would remain part of his game throughout college.

Golden followed it with another 38 receptions in 2023. His yardage dropped to 404, but he still scored six receiving touchdowns.

His sophomore season was shortened by a foot injury, preventing him from building on the year as much as he probably would have liked.

Yet Golden also made his presence felt on special teams.

He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns during the 2023 season and earned second-team All-Big 12 recognition as a return specialist. That versatility became another important part of his early NFL profile.

Across two seasons at Houston, Golden totaled 76 receptions for 988 yards and 13 receiving touchdowns.

Those were solid numbers, but the move to Texas gave him a larger stage and eventually changed the direction of his career.

Transfer to Texas Became a Major Turning Point

Golden joined the Texas Longhorns for the 2024 season.

The receiving room was not short on talent. Texas had also added Isaiah Bond from Alabama, creating plenty of competition for targets and attention.

Golden emerged as the Longhorns’ leading receiving threat.

He started all 16 games and finished the season with career highs across nearly every important receiving category.

Golden recorded 58 receptions for 987 yards and nine touchdowns. His average of 17 yards per catch showed his ability to create substantial gains instead of simply collecting short receptions.

The season established Golden as more than a productive college receiver.

He showed that he could perform against strong competition and become a central part of an offense playing meaningful games deep into the season.

Texas provided the platform, but Golden still had to take advantage of it.

He did.

The production he delivered during his only season with the Longhorns pushed him firmly into the NFL Draft conversation and helped create the momentum that eventually carried him into the first round.

Golden Finished College With Consistent Production

Golden’s college career covered three seasons between Houston and Texas.

He appeared in 36 games and started 33 of them, finishing with 134 receptions for 1,975 yards and 22 receiving touchdowns.

One of the more impressive parts of those numbers was his consistency.

From 2022 through 2024, Golden recorded at least 35 receptions, 400 receiving yards and six touchdown catches in every season. He was one of only six FBS players to reach all three marks in each of those years.

His role changed along the way.

At Houston, he established himself as a young receiver and dangerous returner. At Texas, he became a more complete downfield receiving option capable of carrying a significant share of the passing game.

That progression mattered.

NFL teams were not simply evaluating one productive year. They could see a player who had contributed consistently before making a noticeable jump when given a bigger opportunity.

His Speed Changed the Draft Conversation

Golden’s performance at the NFL Scouting Combine added another major element to his draft profile.

He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.29 seconds.

It was the fastest time recorded by a wide receiver at that year’s combine. He also posted a 1.49-second 10-yard split, tying for the best mark among receivers.

Speed had already appeared on his college tape, but combine numbers gave teams something concrete to measure.

A receiver capable of running under 4.30 seconds naturally creates problems for defenses. Cornerbacks have less margin for error, safeties must respect vertical routes and offensive coordinators gain another way to stretch coverage.

Golden’s value was not based only on straight-line speed, either.

His college performances showed an ability to make catches in traffic and produce downfield. His experience as a kickoff returner provided another indication of what he could do with open space.

By the time the draft approached, Golden had built an intriguing combination of production, youth, versatility and elite timed speed.

Why the Cowboys Connection Attracted Attention

Golden’s comments about the Dallas Cowboys became an easy storyline before the draft.

He was a Texas native.

He had played college football at Houston and Texas.

He grew up watching the Cowboys as well as the Texans.

And Dallas entered the draft with reasons to consider adding receiving talent.

Golden did not hide how meaningful the possibility would have been. He described getting selected by the Cowboys as something that would mean a great deal personally.

The comments were not a demand to play for Dallas. They reflected the natural excitement of a young player imagining what it might feel like to join a team he had watched growing up.

NFL drafts rarely follow sentimental scripts, though.

Players do not control which franchise turns in their name.

For Golden, the phone call came from Wisconsin rather than Texas.

Green Bay Ended a 23-Year First-Round WR Wait

The Packers selected Golden at No. 23 overall.

That pick carried unusual historical significance for Green Bay.

The franchise had not used a first-round draft choice on a wide receiver since selecting Javon Walker 20th overall in 2002. Golden ended that 23-year run.

He also became the first University of Texas player selected by Green Bay in the first round.

For Golden, being chosen that early represented a major vote of confidence.

Green Bay had spent years finding productive receivers outside the opening round. Using the 23rd pick on Golden showed that the organization viewed his combination of speed, receiving ability and upside differently.

His single season at Texas had taken him from a productive transfer to a player worthy of one of the NFL’s most valuable draft selections.

Golden’s Rookie Season Gave Him Valuable Experience

Golden’s first NFL season was more about development than immediate statistical domination.

He appeared in 14 regular-season games for Green Bay and made five starts.

Golden finished his rookie regular season with 29 receptions for 361 yards, averaging 12.4 yards per catch. He also received 10 rushing attempts and gained 49 yards on the ground.

There were signs of his big-play ability.

Golden averaged 8.2 yards per target, ranking fourth among qualifying rookie wide receivers. He was particularly productive in important down situations, recording 232 yards on 11 receptions on third and fourth downs.

His rookie regular season did not bring a receiving touchdown, but that changed when the postseason arrived.

Against Chicago in the NFC Wild Card round, Golden caught four passes for 84 yards and scored a touchdown.

The performance placed him alongside Davante Adams as one of the rare Packers rookies to record at least 80 receiving yards and a touchdown in a playoff game.

It offered a glimpse of the receiver Green Bay believed it was getting when it invested a first-round pick in him.

From Texas Dream to a New NFL Home

Matthew Golden’s football journey is strongly connected to Texas, even though his NFL career did not begin there.

He grew up near Houston, played two college seasons for the Houston Cougars and then transferred to the Longhorns, where his breakout season elevated him into the first round.

Before the draft, joining Dallas sounded like the perfect continuation of that story.

Instead, Green Bay changed the ending.

The Packers used the 23rd overall selection on Golden and made him their first first-round wide receiver in more than two decades.

His path is a reminder that NFL careers rarely unfold exactly as players imagine them.

Golden may not have ended up wearing the uniform of the Cowboys or Texans, but leaving Texas opened another opportunity. He went from a Houston prospect to Texas’ leading receiver, then from a first-round prospect to an important young piece of Green Bay’s offense.

For Matthew Golden, the home-state dream did not become reality.

The bigger dream, becoming an NFL first-round draft pick, certainly did.