Draft Analysis: Matthew Golden

March 9, 2025 /
  • Height: 5’11”
  • Weight: 191 lbs.
  • College: Texas
  • Tape watched: Arizona State, Georgia, Clemson
  • NFL Comparison: Henry Ruggs III

Pros

  • Fluidity

Matthew Golden is a smooth operator on the football field. He is obviously fast, proven by his leading 40-yard dash of 4.29s at the combine, but Golden is more than speed. Golden has great change of balance, pace, and tempo. The way he operates in and out of route breaks will translate early in the NFL.

  • Route Running

Golden can and will handle an NFL route tree. He moves as well as anyone in this draft and can play all three receiver positions on the field. He holds his lines really well pushing downfield. I thought he dissected zone coverage well, though he can tend to fade on his lateral routes if the ball isn’t thrown right away. Golden really excels in his route stems, squaring up defenders and chasing their back shoulders. All he needs is one wrong foot placement or turn by cornerbacks, and he zips by them untouched.

This route is *chefs kiss*. The tempo, the angles, the spacing.
This didn’t end in a catch, but it drew a flag and showed the tenacity Golden has at times. If he can harness this aggression more often, he can be special.

Midline

  • Release

Matthew Golden has more good than bad release examples in the film covered. He has really quick feet and manipulates defenders well. He is proactive with his body movements, dipping his shoulder before contact. He can improve by relying less on the speed of his footwork and more on movements outside the frame of the defender. Using his hands more at the point of contact will go a long way as well.

Golden rushes his release and his footwork doesn’t move the corner back.
  • Hands

Despite 10 drops in the last two seasons, Matthew Golden reels in tough catches. He drastically increased his number and percentage of successful contested catches from 2023 to 2024. Golden has incredible focus with defenders in his face from underthrown passes. As a result, he made a lot of big play while getting drilled by defenders. A couple drops witnessed were on quick slants and short zone targets where Golden got his head turned a split second too late.

Cons

  • Blocking

Poor effort and poor technique riddle Golden’s run game. He can not be trusted in assignment-based plays.

This poor effort and bad technique by Golden almost cost Texas their season. The Arizona State DB watched his film, as Golden missed this block earlier in the year, too.
  • Size/YAC

These two go hand-in-hand, as Golden’s lack of any upside in yards-after-catch is impacted by his size. He goes down very easily and rarely fights for extra yards. Golden is not a threat to create space after the catch either, forcing only eight missed tackles in 2024 (for reference, that is half as many as 155 lbs. Tez Johnson forced). He is much more deadly putting his head down and trying to sprint through defensive lanes.

Overview

Matthew Golden has entered the first-round draft pick hype over the last month, and rightfully so. In a class with a lack of great route runners, the NFL will be eager to jump at someone who may contribute week one. Golden has polish and swiftness, and fits the mold of players like DJ Moore, Chris Olave, and Jaylen Waddle.