The recent history of rookie receivers is encouraging for the potential of Packers rookie Matthew Golden to make an instant impact.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – There are high hopes for the potential impact of the Green Bay Packers’ first-round draft pick, receiver Matthew Golden. While it’s dangerous to place too great of expectations on a rookie, those expectations shouldn’t be minimized, either.

At NFL.com, Jeffri Chadiha wrote about 11 “rookies who most need to succeed in Year 1.” One of them is Golden.

“There are a ton of expectations on this player, and deservedly so,” Chadiha wrote. “Golden joins a squad that desperately needs him to become a reliable deep threat. Green Bay lost Christian Watson to a torn ACL in the regular-season finale, and even running back Josh Jacobs was openly talking about the need for the team to find a No. 1 receiver this offseason. Golden doesn’t have to be WR1. He just needs to be the game-breaker he was at Texas last year.”

Under coach Matt LaFleur, rookie receivers have made an immediate impact. From 2019 through 2024, the Packers selected five receivers in the first five rounds. Amari Rodgers, a third-round pick in 2021, was a bust. However, as rookies:

– Watson, a second-round pick in 2022, caught 41 passes for 611 yards and seven touchdowns.

– Romeo Doubs, a fourth-round pick in 2022, caught 42 passes for 425 yards and three touchdowns.

– Jayden Reed, a second-round pick in 2023, caught 64 passes for 793 yards and eight touchdowns.

– Dontayvion Wicks, a fifth-round pick in 2023, caught 39 passes for 581 yards and four touchdowns.

That’s quite a bit of an impact by receivers who, based on draft status alone, weren’t as good of prospects as Golden.

The combination of Golden’s big-time speed – his 4.29 in the 40 made him the fastest offensive player at the Scouting Combine – Jordan Love’s desire to air it out and LaFleur’s quest to create big plays should make him a key player immediately.

“Golden led the FBS with 23 receptions of 20 yards or more,” Chadiha wrote. “Golden also has the potential to play outside or in the slot, so he offers … LaFleur the opportunity to become really creative in the passing attack. The Packers come into this season with a lot of weapons at the skill positions. Golden is the one best situated to make it easier for quarterback Jordan Love to shake off some of the criticism he received last season.”

It was only one day of organized team activities, but Golden was an impact player at Tuesday’s practice.

“The kid’s a stud,” Doubs said. “Doesn’t really say much. He just comes in and works. He has been real consistent in that area. If he has any questions for me, he comes to me. If he goes to Jayden, he goes to Jayden and makes sure that he asks as many questions as he can because he is a rookie. The kid’s playing fast right now, so I’m excited to see him.”

The Packers have an abundance of weapons – on paper, anyway – with the returns of receivers Reed, Doubs and Wicks, running back Josh Jacobs and tight end Tucker Kraft, plus the potential impact of tight end Luke Musgrave and running back MarShawn Lloyd after injury-plagued seasons.

Still, Golden’s speed, hands and polish should put him in position to become a key weapon for Love.

Receiver used to be a challenging position for a rookie to make a sudden impact. That’s no longer the case, as they’re entering the NFL with more and more polish. Colleges are throwing the ball more than ever. So are high schools. There are seven-on-seven circuits during the offseason, too.

Last year, five receivers were drafted in the first round. Led by Malik Nabers’ 109 receptions for 1,204 yards, they averaged 64 catches for 949 yards and seven touchdowns. In the five drafts from 2020 through 2024, 28 receivers were selected in the first round. The median is 62 receptions for 856 yards. Seven topped 1,000 yards.

So, really, there’s no reason why Golden shouldn’t not just hit the high expectations but perhaps even exceed them.

“It’s been fun to be able to see him out there,” Love said last week. “The routes he’s running, the things he’s doing, he looks very smooth, looks real smooth in all the routes he’s running. He’s got great hands, great body control, all those things, so I think for him the biggest thing is just how fast can he pick up the offense and being as consistent as possible with knowing what he needs to do on every play.”