NFL Draft expert raises serious questions about Matthew Golden's rookie impact, and it brings up a key concern for the Packers in 2025

The Green Bay Packers drafted a wide receiver in the first round for the first time since 2002 with the expectation that Matthew Golden can quickly elevate the offensive ceiling of the roster. However, things might not be as simple from the jump.

In an article with hot takes for every NFC North team, A to Z Sports NFL and draft analyst Kyle Crabbs thinks it will take more time for the receiver to be a primary weapon for Jordan Love.

"There's a lot of mouths to feed for the Packers' passing offense in 2025 and the team's first-round draft choice, Matthew Golden, may be assumed to be near the top of the pecking order. I'm not so sure. Tight end Tucker Kraft has emerged as a prominent weapon and might be a year away from being considered one of the best tight ends in football. But at wide receiver, names like Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, and the eventual return of Christian Watson leaves a lot of hurdles for Golden to pass on the depth chart.

Golden's impact long-term should be considered exciting. But his place on the totem pole in 2025 feels like one that will not afford him a volume of targets." — Kyle Crabbs

On the other hand, Destin Adams still thinks that Golden will have enough opportunities to separate himself from the rest of the group.

"I wasn't the biggest fan of Golden through the draft process, but I can see the upside that the Packers and many see in him, which led him to be a first-round pick. I agree there are a lot of mouths to feed in the Packers offense, but they finally drafted a WR in the first round, and I expect them to try and get the most out of that investment. I think the only player that finishes ahead of him in receptions will be Jayden Reed, and if that comes true, he should for sure finish ahead of fifth in receiving yards as well." — Destin Adams.

Right after picking Matthew Golden with the 23rd overall selection in the draft, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said that the NFL world is different now. Wide receivers reach the NFL level with a lot of playing experience. However, Gutekunst admitted that Golden will face significant internal competition for snaps and targets.

"I really didn't think we needed to at all. Certainly it's nice when you add as much talent and competition to that room as we can," Gutekunst said about taking a wide receiver early. "I felt really good about our room prior, and if we would've gone in a different direction, I would've had no problem doing that. We had a couple guys on the board that we really, really liked, and he won us over. Not only because of his play on the field, but who he was."

Christian Watson is expected to miss the start of the regular season recovering from his knee injury, but the Packers still have several weapons to target. They include Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, and Jayden Reed at receiver, Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave at tight end, plus Josh Jacobs and MarShawn Lloyd at running back.