2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Matthew Golden

Last Updated: 4/2/2025

Career Stats

Summary 

Matthew Golden hit the ground running when he arrived in Houston as a freshman, setting the freshman school record with 7 receiving touchdowns. Over two years for the Cougars, he would amass 988 yards and 13 touchdowns. After an injury-plagued 2023, Golden set his sights on greener pastures, transferring to Texas in hopes of a more expanded role. He got just that, leading the Longhorns with 987 yards and 9 touchdowns, while his 58 receptions were second only to Gunnar Helm (60).

Standing on a slightly shorter frame, Golden may not be fit for an X role at the next level, but that is fine in today’s game. What Golden lacks in size, he makes up for with speed; his 4.29 40-yard dash shows up on tape. He wastes no time deploying it either, he is a natural attacker within his routes, using his speed to drive defenders off their base. Marrying this with a twitchy upper body, he dismantles defenders on soft-breaking or double-move routes. Add in quality hip flexibility and deceleration skills, and he is a menace on curls and stop routes. We also see him expose zone defenses quite easily, especially on crossing routes where he can lean on his speed. The only real way to slow him down is with physicality, but that’s even harder said than done as his acceleration allows him to make up ground even when jammed off the line — now this may be harder at the next level.

At the catch point, Golden is also impressive. He has soft and reliable hands that he extends away from his body to attack the ball instead of allowing it into his body. His frame lacks some length, but he can snag balls outside his frame easily, even when behind him. His ball-tracking ability is also pro-ready. We saw him adjust back to underthrown balls plenty of times this past season. Where he leaves some to be desired on tape is after the catch. He has the speed and vision to outrun defenders but lacks any real elusiveness to make defenders miss in the open field.

Strengths

• Speed
• Route running
• Hands

Weaknesses

• Elusiveness
• Releases
• Physicality

Honors and Awards

• Second Team All-Big 12 (KR/PR) (2023)

Athletic Testing

• 40-yard dash: 4.29
• Vertical: TBD
• Broad Jump: TBD
• Three-cone: TBD
• Shuttle: TBD
• Bench: TBD

NFL Role Prediction

• Z wide receiver 

Fantasy Outlook

Matthew Golden has a strong WR2 ceiling for us in fantasy. He projects as a top-tier complementary receiver at the next level, requiring a high-volume passing attack to generate quality production. Now, if he can work his way to the top target in the offense, fringe WR1 numbers could be in store as his explosiveness, paired with volume, is a deadly combination.

Player Comparisons

• Chris Olave
• DJ Moore
• Calvin Ridley