Tag: matthew golden

Commanders make surprising pick new CBS mock draft

Commanders add help for Jayden Daniels in this new mock draft.

The Washington Commanders picked second overall in last year’s 2024 NFL draft. One year later, last season’s No. 2 pick, quarterback Jayden Daniels, led the Commanders to 12 wins, two playoff victories and an appearance in the NFC championship game.

While the Commanders ultimately fell short of the Super Bowl, Washington’s future has never been brighter. That success comes with consequences. Due to their appearance in the NFC championship game, the Commanders will pick 29th overall in the 2025 NFL draft.

While that’s not ideal, general manager Adam Peters hopes he’ll pick at the bottom of the first round for many years to come.

Now that Super Bowl weekend is upon us, the NFL’s focus will soon turn to the combine. From there, it will be free agency and the draft.

That means mock drafts. In a new mock draft for CBS Sports, Tom Fornelli has the Commanders adding help at wide receiver, choosing Matthew Golden of Texas.

We know who the quarterback will be here for a long time; now the job is surrounding him with what he needs. Perhaps that’s an offensive lineman, or perhaps it’s another weapon in the passing game. Terry McLaurin is criminally underrated across the league, but the Commanders could use upgrades behind him. Golden’s stock skyrocketed during Texas’ playoff run as Isaiah Bond dealt with injuries. A lot of the things Golden was asked to do in Texas’ offense translate to what the Commanders do in theirs.

Golden played his first two seasons at Houston before spending his final collegiate season at Texas, where he caught 58 passes for 987 yards and nine touchdowns. Golden would be an ideal complement opposite Terry McLaurin. Golden’s elite speed often overshadows the other things he does well, too. He can line up at any receiver spot and produce.

What’s interesting is that CBS has Golden as its 74th overall player but predicts he will go in the first round. Draft analysts expect Golden to really shine at the NFL combine later this month.

ESPN’s Jordan Reid released his top 50 prospects for the 2025 NFL draft and has Golden at No. 25.

Chiefs scouting report: Texas Longhorns WR Matthew Golden

The Kansas City Chiefs should target Texas Longhorns wide receiver Matthew Golden in the 2025 NFL draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs found some answers in their wide receiver room by the end of the 2024 regular season. Expect general manager Brett Veach to fortify the position in the 2025 NFL draft.

Texas Longhorns pass-catcher Matthew Golden is built like a slot receiver but spent most of his college career playing outside. His polished style makes him a candidate to continue playing out wide in the NFL, making him compatible with Kansas City’s existing receiver room.

Golden’s agility and fast footwork make it difficult for corners to press him during his release. He still needs to diversify his release package, but his athletic traits give him a clear path to success against press coverage. Golden’s burst off the line and top speed make him a threat to overtake and stack press and off-man coverage or quickly out-leverage zone coverage.

Golden is a loose athlete who sinks and bends at the top of his routes. He quickly decelerates to create separation on sharp comebacks and curls. His nimble footwork helps him shake cornerbacks at the top of the stem before separating into space.

Golden primarily thrived on schemed touches and intermediate routes at Houston in 2023, but he showcased an improved ability to win vertically with the Longhorns in 2024. He’s a three-level receiving threat with the speed and route running to warrant a high draft pick.

Golden lacks a large catch radius, but he adjusts well for the ball and makes some spectacular plays at the catch point. He doesn’t have the mass to break tackles with physicality but generates yards after the catch with his burst and vision. His experience as a kick returner helps him set up blockers and locate space.

Golden’s projected draft positioning skyrocketed in the past month after he authored several notable performances in the SEC Championship Game and College Football Playoff. The Chiefs will need to invest a high draft pick if they want to add him to their wide receiver room.

Steelers land sleeper wide receiver in Daniel Jeremiah’s debut mock draft

Daniel Jeremiah has the Steelers selecting wide receiver Matthew Golden in his new mock draft.

It feels more and more like 2025 will be the last season we see wide receiver George Pickens as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In fact, Pickens might not even make it to the 2025 season if the Steelers chose to trade him away.

Either scenario puts wide receiver as one of the Steelers top needs for the 2025 NFL draft and/or free agency. In NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah’s first mock draft of the year, he was looking to the present and the future with the Steelers pick of Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden.

I don’t think the Steelers could go wrong drafting Golden or Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka here. They go with Golden in this case, but they are both professional route runners with outstanding hands and toughness.

Jeremiah’s mock draft really puts the Steelers in a wild spot. Not only is Golden and Emeka Egbuka still on the board but he still has Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden is there as well. This would not only give the Steelers a great shot to land a true No. 1 receiver but could put them in a position to trade back and still land the guy they want.

 

5 underclassmen Broncos could target early in 2025 NFL draft

Last week, 55 underclassmen declared for the 2025 NFL draft. These five prospects could be early-round targets for the Broncos.

Last week, 55 underclassmen declared for the 2025 NFL draft.

Of those underclassmen, five could be of particular early-round interest to the Broncos, who are set to select 20th and 51st overall in the first two rounds of April’s draft. Here’s a quick look at five early names to know.

1. Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty: Yes, most pundits don’t expect him to fall to Denver, but it is a possible scenario. The Broncos could also consider trading up to land the top RB in the draft.

2. Michigan TE Colston Loveland: PSU’s Tyler Warren would be a dream pick for Denver, but if he’s not on the board, Loveland might be. He totaled 101 receptions for 1,231 yards and nine touchdowns in his final two years with the Wolverines.

3. Texas WR Matthew Golden: Denver needs to add more weapons for quarterback Bo Nix and Golden is coming off a 58-catch, 987-yard, nine-touchdown season as a junior.

4. Texas WR Isaiah Bond: Golden’s teammate, Bond, totaled 34 receptions for 540 yards and five touchdowns last fall.

5. Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson: If the Broncos don’t land Jeanty in the first, perhaps they’ll consider Johnson in the second. He rushed 240 times for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2024.

Denver holds seven picks to use in the 2025 NFL draft (April 24-26).

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Matthew Golden scouting report: A dark horse candidate for the Panthers’ 1st-round pick?

Texas WR Matthew Golden may end up in the conversation for the Panthers’ first-round selection.

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 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.

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Former Longhorns WR Matthew Golden says Texas ‘felt like home’

Matthew Golden sat down with Texas legends to reflect on his time at the forty acres. He said that “everything felt like home.”

A transfer that paid off in gold—Matthew Golden has emerged as one of the brightest stars in college football, and now the Texas Longhorns wide receiver has his sights set on the NFL Draft.

The former Houston Cougar, who made the jump to Austin in spring 2024, has been a key piece in the Longhorns’ offensive puzzle this season. “Everything felt like home,” Golden said of his decision to join Texas. “Originally I was supposed to end up at TCU, I committed to UH, I wanted to stay at home, put on for the city. I stayed there for two years and then the portal opened, and Texas was the first school that reached out to me,”

Golden’s impact was immediate. The first-year Longhorn has started in all 15 games this season, showcasing the talent that earned him East-West Shrine Bowl’s “Texas Star of the Week” honors on November 11.

Before donning burnt orange, Golden proved his mettle at Houston, where he played 20 games in two seasons, starting 17. As a true freshman in 2022, he appeared in 11 games with eight starts, and in 2023, he started all nine games he played before a season-ending injury cut his sophomore campaign short.

His journey to the Forty Acres wasn’t without its challenges, but Golden credits the Longhorns for helping him unlock his potential. Appearing on the 3rd & Longhorn podcast with Texas legends Derrick Johnson, Jeremy Hills, and Nick Shuley, Golden shared how his transition to Texas reignited his passion for the game.

“I like competition, so just knowing that I got an opportunity to push myself to be even better against guys that are good, it’s just going to make you come out here and play even better,” Golden said. “I never second guess myself, because where I came from, nothing was ever handed to me. You just got to go get it, and you’ve got to have that type of mindset so you’re not going to let anything stop you from where you want to go.”

When I first got here, the offense wasn’t clicking for me,” Golden said. “I texted Coach Sark and I was just like, if I could come meet with you once or twice during the week just to go over the formations and stuff like that. One day I went in there and he just sat down and he laid everything out for me, just the small details and everything, and after that it clicked for me.

Matthew Golden is projected to head in the first round of the NFL Draft according to latest USA TODAY projections. The NFL Draft is scheduled for Thursday, April 24 from Green Bay, WI.

The Athletic’s 2-round mock draft has Saints drawing from blue-chip programs

There have been a lot of complaints about the Saints spending early-round picks on small-school prospects. That isn’t a problem in The Athletic’s mock draft:

The 2025 NFL draft class is beginning to take shape with underclassmen declaring whether they’ll turn pro and seniors telling their schools goodbye. And while the there’s been plenty of criticism for the New Orleans Saints spending early-round draft picks on prospects from smaller programs, that wasn’t an issue in this two-round mock draft.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler argues the Saints should start their 2025 draft by picking Georgia safety Malaki Starks at No. 9 overall:

Safety might feel like a luxury option for a Saints team that needs help at quarterback, pass catcher and on the defensive line. But Starks can play across the secondary and be a playmaker in different ways. With his athleticism, football IQ and makeup, he will be an easy sell in NFL war rooms.

Starks is an intriguing talent, and if he’s able to play every down defensively he could be well worth the pick. The Saints lack a sure thing next to Tyrann Mathieu on the back end and had to platoon older pros like Will Harris (861 snaps), Ugo Amadi (527), and Johnathan Abram (115) far too often last season. We didn’t see the hoped-for second-year leap out of Jordan Howden, who was limited to 552 snaps across 17 games. Maybe Starks could help them get younger and more dynamic at that spot even if it isn’t as clear an immediate need.

Starks would be a perfect young player to have lock down the secondary for the next few years in New Orleans. He is a smart player that can do a lot across the defense.. The defensive back had 197 career tackles with six interceptions and 17 passes broken up. He is mostly known for making highlight plays in coverage, but that isn’t all he does.

This was a two-round mock draft, and while Brugler didn’t go into detail about the Saints’ selection at No. 40, he did have them picking Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden. And that might be a controversial decision. Golden has the production you look for from players coming out of a blue-chip program — he led the Longhorns this season with 987 receiving yards and 9 touchdown catches — but he’s got a similar frame to Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed at a listed 6-foot-0 and 195 pounds. He wouldn’t add much of a size element fans have been looking for since Michael Thomas left the team.

Still, Golden was the fourth receiver taken in Brugler’s mock draft (out of seven). He would be an absolute steal in the second round, as some consider him to be in the conversation for the best wide receiver prospect in the draft class. At some point the team needs to just draft the best players available and raise the roster’s overall talent level. Olave’s history of concussions and looming contract issues can’t be ignored. Assuming the Saints pick up his fifth-year option this spring, he’ll be up for free agency in 2027 with Shaheed hitting the market in 2026. Drafting Golden in 2025 could give the Saints a viable successor for at least one of those two receivers.

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WR Matthew Golden plays key role In Longhorns OT win over Arizona State

As the Longhorns inched closer to a national championship, Golden played a huge role

After a slow start to the College Football playoffs, Texas Longhorns wide receiver Matthew Golden broke out in a big way in UT’s quarterfinals 38-31 2OT win. Against Arizona State, the Texas native was a reception machine. As the Longhorns inched closer to a national championship, Golden played a huge role.

On Wednesday night, Golden led Texas in receptions with seven and receiving yards with 149. He also averaged a team-high 21.3 yards per catch and found the end zone once. His latest big game was an encouraging sign for a Texas team that needed a spark.

In the first round against Clemson, Golden was held in check with two catches for 49 yards. During the regular season he had been one of the Longhorns most reliable playmakers. He led Texas in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. While the Tigers were able to limit his impact he quickly put that performance in the rearview mirror.

When the Longhorns needed a big catch, Golden came through with his only touchdown of the afternoon in overtime, which tied things up at 31. Like the rest of his teammates, Golden wasn’t ready for the season to end without a national title.

“None of us wanted to go home,” the Longhorns star said postgame to the media.

Following an unforgettable performance, Golden will shift his focus to the Longhorns’ next playoff game, in nine days against Ohio State. If he can have another huge night, the Longhorns’ offense should be in good hands and continue their playoff run.

Texas draft prospects for Packers fans to watch during College Football Playoff

Draft prospects from Texas for Packers fans to watch during the College Football Playoff.

The Texas Longhorns had 11 players drafted during the 2024 NFL Draft. They could match or even exceed that number during the 2025 draft. Let’s look at eight players who could be targets for the Green Bay Packers.

Alred Collins, DT

A former five-star recruit, Collins looks every bit the part of a future wrecking ball. Collins plays with some raw power and walks blockers back into the quarterback’s lap. He has the range to make plays up and down the line of scrimmage and his motor is always running. 

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Barryn Sorrell, Edge

Sorrell checks the boxes with his frame and athleticism. As a run defender, he snatches and tosses and sets a hard edge. According to Pro Football Focus, Sorrell has recorded 21 run stops this season. The Texas edge rusher enters the matchup against Clemson with nine tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and 39 pressures. 

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Jahdae Barron, DB

A year ago Barron was one of the best slot defenders in the country. This season he’s shown that he can survive on the boundary. Barron led the SEC in interceptions (5) and recorded nine pass deflections. He has the drive explosion to arrive before the pigskin and has wide receiver-like ball skills. He’s a physical downfield defender and stays balanced as a tackler. 

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Jake Majors, C

Majors enters the matchup against Clemson with 54 career starts at center for the Longhorns. Majors has heightened awareness and understands protections. Over the past two seasons, Majors has given up zero sacks and 20 pressures.  

Trey Moore, Edge

At 245 pounds, Moore could be too light for Green Bay’s liking. Moore can easily add five pounds without losing his explosive first step. The UTSA transfer has recorded 3.5 sacks and 26 pressures. 

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Vernon Broughton, DT

At 6-5, 306 pounds, Broughton has an ideal NFL frame. The Texas defensive tackle has good initial quickness off the snap to get upfield quickly and disrupt the action in the backfield. He maintains his gap and shows the lateral quickness to make plays up and down the line of scrimmage.

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Matthew Golden, WR

With his instant acceleration off the line of scrimmage and finds a second gear to win vertically. He runs sharp routes and does a good job of mixing up his tempo to keep defensive backs off balance. Golden also brings special teams value as a kick and punt returner. 

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Isaiah Bond, WR

The Alabama transfer is a dynamic playmaker. The former track athlete is a vertical threat and can take swing passes the distance with his game-breaking quickness. Bond is similar to Jayden Reed and having those two on the same offense would put a lot of stress on opposing defenses. 

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Matthew Golden records second straight multi-TD effort in Longhorns win

That continued on Saturday in the Longhorns’ latest conference win over Arkansas

Over the last few weeks, Matthew Golden has been a scoring machine. The Longhorns star wide receiver has become one of Quinn Ewers most trusted options and has been an integral part of the offense. That continued on Saturday in the Longhorns’ latest conference win over Arkansas.

Against the Razorbacks, the Longhorns’ talented junior recorded two catches for 21 yards. While those numbers may not jump off the page, they were important plays, as both catches resulted in touchdowns. Due to his recent scoring surge, Golden leads all Longhorns wide receivers in touchdowns with eight.

Through the first ten games of his Longhorns career, Golden has made a good first impression. He ranks third on the team in receptions with 29 and receiving yards with 417. Although he has had to learn a new offense, Golden has proven to be a valuable addition.

Additionally, Golden is getting better as the playoffs inch closer. In his last three games, the Houston native has found the end zone five times. He now has at least two touchdowns in three games this season. That is the type of production the Longhorns hoped they would get when they added Golden from the transfer portal.

As the regular season winds down, Golden should continue to be a popular target. He has proven he can be relied on in the red zone, making life difficult for defensive coordinators. He will get to continue adding more plays to his highlight reel this weekend when Texas takes on Kentucky.