Thor Nystrom delivers the 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report for Matthew Golden, the speedy University of Texas wide receiver who ran his way into first-round consideration at the NFL Draft Scouting Combine.

Matthew Golden Speeding His Way To The First Round?

School: Texas

Height/Weight: 5-foot-11 / 191 pounds

Comp: Chris Olave

A four-star recruit out of Houston, Matthew Golden was ranked No. 210 overall on the 247Sports Composite in 2022. Initially committed to TCU, Golden decommitted a month-and-a-half before Signing Day.

Late pushes were made by Texas, LSU, Minnesota, and Baylor for the high school track star. But Golden ultimately decided to stay home and sign with the Houston Cougars to play in former HC Dana Holgorsen and OC Shannon Dawson’s hybrid Air Raid.

The local star won a starting job with the Cougars immediately as a true freshman, while also serving as a part-time kick returner. A rib injury cost him two games that year, but Golden ultimately submitted a respectable 38-584-7 line for 53.1 YPG receiving. QB Clayton Tune was taken in the NFL Draft in the spring, while OC Shannon Dawson left to run Miami’s offense.

Golden’s sophomore year in 2023 started well, with a 22-244-4 line across four games along with a kick return touchdown. But Golden suffered a groin injury against West Virginia in early October (the same game he returned his second kickoff for a TD).

While the injury didn’t keep Golden off the field, it did compromise his movement. Meanwhile, Houston’s passing offense was sagging in general with new starting QB DonoVan Smith struggling and Dawson no longer around calling plays. 

The next week, Golden had a gritty 7-88-2 line in a near-miss loss to the Texas Longhorns. But Golden didn’t look right the next two games, with only 4 catches combined as his snaps were cut.

The next week, at Baylor, Golden succumbed to a turf toe injury that ended his season. Despite appearing in only nine games—exiting two early and playing multiple others below 100%—Golden led the team with 6 TD catches. He finished No. 2 that year in PFF return grade (90.4).

After the campaign was over, Houston fired Holgorsen and hired Tulane HC Willie Fritz, who has a ground-based approach. Golden entered the transfer portal. He ultimately signed with Texas. 

Through the Arkansas game in mid-November, Golden had a mere 29 receptions (2.9 per game). But quietly, you could see the lava of his impending eruption beginning to bubble. Though Golden had only caught 7 balls over the previous three games, 5 of them had gone for touchdowns.

The next week, Golden caught 7-of-9 targets against Kentucky. Against Georgia in the SEC title game, Golden went berserk, turning 12 targets into 8 catches for 163 yards. In Round 2 of the CFP, Golden lit up Arizona State for a 7-149-1 line over 10 targets.

Unfortunately, in the semis against Ohio State, Golden exited in the second quarter with a left ankle injury. That and TreVeyon Henderson’s 75-yard touchdown catch-and-run just prior to halftime were too much for the Longhorns to overcome in a 28-14 loss.

Golden declared early for the NFL Draft. He was a bit of a curiosity at first. That changed when his pre-draft process started at the NFL Combine, where Golden stunned onlookers with a 4.29 40 that finished No. 2 at the event amongst all participants.

Matthew Golden NFL Draft Scouting Report

Golden brings to the NFL proven slot/boundary versatility, along with legitimate return value on special teams. And unlike some receivers in this class, Golden proved in college that he could win at all three levels of the field regardless of where he was being deployed.

Of the consensus top-5 receivers in this class, only Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan had a higher target share in the middle and deep sectors of the field than Golden in 2024. 

Golden’s biggest calling card as a receiver is his ability to create separation at any level of the field. Over his three-year college career, Golden was in the 85th-percentile in separation rate, per PFF. In 2024, Golden was 89th-percentile in receiving grade against single coverage.

He shoots off the line with a dealer’s-choice cornucopia of releases and gets to work expediently. Golden creates indecision up the route stem with upper-body deeks and false cuts. 

Golden toggles speeds like a jet ski, creating indecision. He goes to the effort of disguising when and where breaks are coming, and he’s extremely sudden in-and-out of them. Golden has quick feet and oily hips, and he can slam on the breaks suddenly and gear back up quickly.

Golden has the route-running chops and the wheels to get downtown, obviously. He’s better deep than you might think from his physical package. Golden caught 13-of-22 targets 20+ yards downfield last year, while going 7-of-10 on contested situations en route to a 124.1 passer rating on deep targets.

Golden didn’t jump at the NFL Combine, but I do not need him to—he gets off the carpet and attacks the ball in the sky downfield. In these situations, it’s legitimately impressive to see his body contortions and ability to spear balls outside of his frame. It is the reason that he is so effective downtown despite his lack of size.

Golden gets nitpicked for a lack of size and play strength for a boundary receiver—I did not often see him hindered by either. In comparison to some of the other top receivers in this class, he’s actually not a bad run blocker. 

Golden gives effort, and, if nothing else, is a gnat who will frustrate your ability to start the journey down the alley. Golden will never be elite in this area, but he’s never going to embarrass himself in it either.

Golden’s 17% career target share is on the low-end for first-round receiving prospects—especially first-rounder receiving prospects who spent two-thirds of their career in the G5. However, there is context to consider here. 

Tank Dell led the WR room during Golden’s true freshman season at Houston—Dell was justifiably pounded with targets every game en route to 109 receptions. Also on that team was WR Sam Brown, who joins Golden in this draft class.

Dell was gone in 2023, but that was the season where the injury bug bit Golden hard. In part because of that, Brown, who played all 12 games, established himself as Houston’s WR1 (Brown transferred to Miami the same offseason Golden defected to Texas). 

In 2024, Golden started out behind fellow-transfer Isaiah Bond in the pecking order. And Texas looked to leverage QB Quinn Ewers’ strength in short/intermediate concepts with RBs and TEs a major part of the game plan (TE Gunnar Helm and RBs Tre Wisner and Jaydon Blue combined for 146 receptions).

Despite these factors, the cream ultimately rose to the top—Golden had 19 more receptions and 447 more yards than any other Texas receiver. This was on a national-title contending roster.

Golden needs to clean up the concentration drops. I’m bullish in that department, because the progress he has already made—Golden’s 6.5% drop rate last year was a strong showing and easily a career best. Still, he entered 2024 with a career drop rate north of 10%, a red-flag region. 

I do not believe that Matthew Golden will be a superstar in the NFL. But I think he will be a tremendous WR2 on a contender—somebody who will lick single-coverage, make plays for you at any sector of the field, and naturally shift between the boundary and slot as needed.

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