The Green Bay Packers might have made a mistake when drafting Matthew Golden with the 22nd pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report went through a re-draft of the first round, and not only did Golden not go before, or at the Packers pick, he was not considered a first round prospect.
Knowing what we know now, there is a chance the Packers would not have made the same decision.
Fortunately for the Packers, Golden is not alone. Mykel Williams, Kenneth Grant, Walter Nolen, Shemar Stewart, Jahdae Barron, and Omarion Hampton all went ahead of Golden in the actual draft. While we do not know when these players would have went in a second-round re-draft, none of them went in the first round of this re-draft.
So, there were at least six picks that could have been considered bigger reaches or worse outcomes than Golden. However, that does not make Golden a great pick.
The Green Bay Packers Might Be Disappointed in Matthew Golden
GettyGreen Bay Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden.
Golden only produced 361 yards in his rookie season. While that is not strong, some of it can be explained by the Packers not wanting to give him a big role as a rookie. The team had Dontayvion Wicks, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson and Jayden Reed ahead of him. They shipped off Wicks and did not re-sign Doubs, so there are going to be more chances for him.
However, at the same time, Watson and Reed missed good chunks of the season and Golden was unable to get the adequate production. He averaged 1.35 yards per route run in the regular season, which was the worst mark of all of the Packers pass catchers. He might be in a more defined role this year, but he has a lot to prove to live up to the first round hype.
The Packers Let a Division Rival Get a Potentially Better Wide Receiver
What might hurt most for Packers fans is how the receivers went off of the board. Travis Hunter, Tet McMillan, and Emeka Egbuka all went ahead of them, just like they did in the draft. Howevert, while Golden was the fourth receiver taken in 2025, the next receiver drafted in the re-draft was Luther Burden of the Chicago Bears.
Burden was drafted 39th overall, and went 26th in the re-draft. So, while the Packers whiffed on someone who dropped, their rival hit on the same position and they are rising.
Burden entered a similar situation to Golden where the room did not allow a lot of production. He was behind D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, and Olamide Zaccheaus to start. However, he still finished with 652 yards. In the regular season, he averaged 2.69 yards per route run.
So, when Burden ran a route, he was creating 1.34 more yards than Golden. That is double the production. There is no telling what Burden would have done in the role that the Packers wanted from Golden, but this looks like they missed out. We will see after Golden’s second season where he stands.
Packers Draft Miss Helps Division Rival Land Star