Matthew Golden has been one of 2025’s biggest draft-season risers. It took him a while to get going at Texas, but his late season surge was a huge reason for Texas’s playoff run. Oftentimes, big production in important games can artificially inflate the stock of a player, but Golden is worthy of the praise. There are still questions about whether he can be a true WR1 in the NFL, but he has all the makings of an elite complimentary weapon.
Measurements
Height: 5'11'', Weight: 191, Arm Length: 30.7’’, Hands: 9.5’’
Testing - (Combine)
40-Yard Dash: 4.29, 10-Yard Split: 1.49
Scouting Overview
Matthew Golden has been one of 2025’s biggest draft-season risers. It took him a while to get going at Texas, but his late season surge was a huge reason for Texas’s playoff run. Oftentimes, big production in important games can artificially inflate the stock of a player, but Golden is worthy of the praise. There are still questions about whether he can be a true WR1 in the NFL, but he has all the makings of an elite complimentary weapon.
Golden was primarily used as the X-receiver in Texas’s offense, running 76.1% of his routes from the outside, but he gets plenty of reps at all three positions. I suspect he’ll be moved around the formation quite a bit in the NFL, with his primary role being a flanker with plenty of pre-snap motion.
Much will be made about Golden’s 4.29 40-yard dash, however that’s a bit of a misleading number. On tape, he doesn’t have the type of speed that truly puts fear into the defense in the same way as players like Tyreek Hill or Jameson Williams, but he’s still an explosive vertical weapon. He processes defenses quickly, allowing him to make the most of his speed when he's running downfield routes against zone coverage.
My favorite part of Golden’s game is the way he sets up his route stems. He attacks defenders at full speed regardless of the route he’s running, making his routes unpredictable and indistinguishable to the defense. He makes defensive backs flip their hips to run with a vertical route, then his breaks at the perfect moment to create separation. He’s outstanding at using his upper body and his eyes to send his defender in one direction, then breaking in the other. His footwork on intermediate routes can let him down at times, particularly when breaking back to the quarterback, but these are correctable issues.
Golden’s biggest weakness, and the main roadblock for him becoming a WR1, is his work against press coverage. He’s capable of beating press to the point where he could be a functional full time X-receiver, but getting the most out of him will require keeping him clean off the line of scrimmage. He also doesn’t have quite the same suddenness when working the underneath part of the field. There’s no question that Golden does his best work when he gets a full head of steam.
If Golden meaningfully improves that part of his game, there’s nothing stopping him from being one of the most dangerous receivers in the NFL. Despite his smaller frame, he has little to no issues at the catch point. While he struggles at times with physical coverage, he has no such problems when the ball is in the air. He attacks the ball at its earliest point, allowing him to make plays in tight coverage that many players his size can’t. He’s also quite comfortable extending away from his frame to catch off target passes. Further, It’s encouraging to see how much this part of his game improved during his final year in college. From 2023 to 2024, his drop rate fell from 13.3% to ...