The Green Bay Packers have a lot of young talent to be excited about.
That can be attributed in large part to building most of their roster through the draft. The Packers have made the playoffs in six of their last seven seasons, and project to continue to be a contender for the foreseeable future.
Green Bay Packers WR Matthew Golden Named to PFF’s 2026 All-Breakout Team
The staff at Pro Football Focus assembled a team of second-year players at every position who they believe will take a major step forward in 2026. Golden was one of two wide receivers that made the cut.
“Based on Golden’s talent and the Packers’ new-look receiving corps, all signs point toward him being counted on much more — and producing improved results. Golden’s rookie season was relatively pedestrian, with the first-round pick playing to a 72.7 PFF receiving grade with 1.53 yards per route run. However, he peaked in his final game of the year when he notched a 90.0 receiving mark, 3.50 yards per route run and 42 yards after the catch in Green Bay’s wild-card defeat vs. the Bears. With the Packers losing Romeo Doubs in free agency and trading Dontayvion Wicks, the team is firmly placing its faith in Golden, whose premier route-running and ball-tracking skills should carry over from his time at Texas.”
Golden is poised to take on a bigger role in Green Bay’s offense in 2026. As the No. 23 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Golden as WR1 upside. He will compete with Christian Watson for that role.
Golden had inconsistent production as a rookie, recording just 29 receptions for 361 yards, and failing to log a single touchdown. However, he did find the endzone in the Packers’ wild-card postseason matchup against the Chicago Bears, which was one of his four catches for 84 yards in that game.
Matthew Golden Is Apart of Young Nucleus That Packers Are Counting On
GettyPackers WR’s Matthew Golden and Christian Watson.
The Packers made some notable changes during the offseason, but nothing that would be considered high-profile. That’s because general manager Brian Gutekunst told the media back in February he believes they already have the right players in place to make a championship run.
“Our 2026 (season) will be defined mostly by the guys who are already here, and what they do to get better and better our football team,” Gutekunst said. “I’m excited about that, because I really do like the group of guys we have in that locker room. There’s some guys that are really coming into the best years of their career. They’ve got a lot of experience under their belt now. We’re a seasoned team. I think right now what we have to do is we have to be able to get in those moments that we’ve struggled with the last two years and finish them off, and I’m excited about that.”
The Packers have several players who are on the cusp of becoming elite, but haven’t quite gotten there. If they are going to bring a Super Bowl back to Green Bay, at least a couple of them are going to have to make the jump soon.
Second-Year Packer Named to PFF’s 2026 All-Breakout Team