Drafting Matthew Golden in Round 1 was out of character for the Green Bay Packers. Over the years, the franchise has gone to great lengths to avoid spending such premium draft capital on a wide receiver. The reality is that upgrading the wide receiver room was a long overdue move by general manager Brian Gutekunst and his staff.
Golden isn't the ideal big-bodied X-receiver that Jordan Love would like to leverage on the outside. He has the speed required to stretch opposing secondaries but his size will not intimidate anyone. Stylistically, he reminds scouts a lot of Stefon Diggs. The Packers will be ecstatic if Golden turns into that sort of difference-maker.
The franchise's choice to go with Golden at No. 3 should reverberate throughout the entire roster. Here are three things the interesting draft choice means for the Packers in 2025 and their short-term future.
Packers draft lesson No. 1: The wide receiver room is too crowded
Green Bay still might not have a bona fide No. 1 wide receiver to hang their hat on, but they do have a number of bodies to fill the team meeting room. In fact, it's easy to see that they're overstocked at the wide receiver position heading into the 2025 regular season.
The lack of a clear timetable for Christian Watson's injury return does take the pressure off of Green Bay to make a move before Week 1. It's easy to envision a scenario where the Packers do need to offload a wideout on their current two-deep before this year's trade deadline.
Jayden Reed should feel assured of his position as the team's primary option in the slot. Watson hasn't blown anyone away during his NFL career but his flashes of brilliance should keep him around. That leaves the likes of Dontayvion Wicks and Romeo Doubs fighting things out for targets.
Wicks struggled with drops last year but he wasn't suspended by the coaching staff. That's exactly what happened to Doubs which puts his status with the team in serious jeopardy. Throw in the fact that he's headed to free agency next offseason and he looks like the guy most likely to be jettisoned.
The most likely scenario is that the Packers will wait until Watson is back into the fold to make that move. Teams looking for a distressed asset to gamble on at wide receiver might want to start making inquiries about Doubs soon.
Packers draft lesson No. 2: They are not obsessed with size at wide receiver
Heading into the draft, there was a cogent argument to be made that this year's wide receiver class didn't line up with the Packers' needs. There just weren't too many big, X-receivers to choose from. Tetairoa McMillan was the best option but he was never going to fall to No. 23.
Many draft experts thought that meant the Packers would opt to address a different roster need in Round 1. Cornerback remains a major concern given the uncertainty surrounding Jaire Alexander's future. Rolling the dice on an edge rusher with yet another premium pick would have been a defensible decision by Gutekunst.
Instead, Green Bay showed some philosophical flexibility and went with a smaller receiver to presumably grow into their No. 1 option on the outside. Spending the 23rd pick on Golden doesn't prevent them from moving for a more typical primary option in the future, but it does says that the Packers are taking a more liberal view of how they can build the ideal receiver room for quarterback Jordan Love.
Packers draft lesson No. 3: They are going to throw the ball down the field in 2025
It would be a mistake to classify Golden as a one-trick pony. He does possess elite speed but he isn't just a track athlete trying to run by opposing corners and safeties. The former Texas star is more refined than that as a route-runner who can create separation on short and intermediate throws.
His best skill remains his ability to turn that blazing speed into explosive plays. That's the quality Love will be most excited about heading into this season. He is a quarterback who wants to take chances and Golden gives him a wideout who can help him convert them at a higher percentage.
The challenge for head coach Matt LaFleur and his staff will be to pick their spots with Golden's deep routes. They need to make sure his target share is sufficient by getting him the ball in space too. Love is going to lobby hard for four verts but Green Bay needs to diversifty Golden's route tree to maximize his output as a rookie.
Drafting Golden still means the Packers will throw the ball deep more often than they did last season. As long as Love receives quality protection from the offensive line that's going to spell trouble for opposing defenses.