With the Carolina Panthers needing to find an explosive playmaker for quarterback Bryce Young, you’ll certainly hear about the usual suspects heading into the offseason. But what about the lesser-known ones?
University of Texas standout Matthew Golden could be an under-the-radar option in the 2025 NFL draft.
The dynamic six-foot, 195-pounder capped off his collegiate career with a productive season for the Longhorns—recording 987 yards and nine touchdowns on 58 catches. Golden, a four-star recruit out of high school, now enters the pros as a second-team All-Big 12 selection and an intriguing prospect for wideout-needy offenses.
So since the Panthers are one of those offenses, let’s take a closer look at what Golden could bring to Carolina.
Strengths
If you watched the Longhorns during the postseason, you probably noticed No. 2 flash on your screen a lot.
Golden presents a combination of explosiveness, run-after-catch ability and ball skills that a lot of teams would sign up for.
Some obvious strengths that stand out with Golden is his suddenness and his route running. He knows where to attack defenders depending on their leverage, and offers ample change of direction and short-area quickness that allows him to create separation.
Texas WR Matthew Golden declared for the NFL Draft today and he’s already one of “my guys” in this year’s NFL Draft.
I love how he attacks DB leverage points. He very explosive and, surprisingly, quite aggressive at the catch point. Sign me up! pic.twitter.com/v5PXWfo0dF
— Jared Feinberg (@JRodNFLDraft) January 14, 2025
Texas is known for their high rate of motions, and Golden was utilized in this area to pick up on free releases and space. This allowed him to eat off-coverage cushions against the zone.
Golden is also an explosive player, but not to the extent his teammate Isaiah Bond is. Still, he offers the second and third gear to break tackle angles and run away from defenders. His quickness in the open field makes him a handful to tackle.
During the SEC Championship against Georgia, and during the CFP, Golden exhibited great ball skills and hand-eye coordination to track or attack the football in the air. He displayed smooth body control to adjust and make spectacular catches.
He isn’t a large receiver, but his athleticism allows him to play much bigger than his unofficial measurements would suggest.
Weaknesses
As alluded to, Golden doesn’t present the body type like a Tetairoa McMillan does. Furthermore, he has only sufficient play strength and physicality that may limit his opportunities early in his career.
Golden does have inconsistencies at the line of scrimmage, particularly with his release packages and in defeating physical cornerbacks on the perimeter. He is not refined with utilizing his hands in the contact window to defeat press coverage.
He has shown willingness to block on the outside in the run game, but will sometimes get overwhelmed against run-supporting defenders collapsing downhill.
While it isn’t a significant flaw, Golden has had issues with drops in his career. Those, however, showed more during his two years at the University of Houston (2022 and 2023), and not so much at Texas.
The Verdict
Golden projects as an alignment versatile receiver who could be an impact starter in his rookie season.
His skill set allows him to be an effective target in the passing game. With his athleticism, agility, and suddenness, Golden has ample room for improvement to grow into a potential high-volume target at the NFL level.
While the hype isn’t there yet, Golden may end up in the conversation for Carolina’s No. 8 overall selection. His abilities in the vertical passing game, his explosiveness and his separation skills are assets the Panthers offense has missed for years.
Golden would be an instant impact starter as a Z or Y receiver.
Texas WR #2 Matthew Golden
• explosiveness/long speed to break angles, win vertically
• ++ route runner who can win at all three levels
• impressive ball skills at the catch point
• COD and SAQ to create in spaceOne of the best WRs in the #NFLDraft imo. pic.twitter.com/Dp9ivdBJUw
— Jared Feinberg (@JRodNFLDraft) January 14, 2025
