NFL Draft
1/15/25
6 min read
Matthew Golden 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Texas Longhorns WR
Height: 6000 (unofficial)
Weight: 195lbs (unofficial)
Year: Junior
Pro Comparison: Nate Burleson
Scouting Overview
Texas Longhorns wide receiver Matthew Golden is an explosive pass catcher who boasts versatility in how he can impact a passing game. The Texas offense unleashed a downfield weapon that accentuated his burst off the line of scrimmage — but his inside/outside versatility sets the stage for a player who can win from the slot with separation quickness and in underneath targets as well.
Golden illustrates excellent body control and contortion skills at the catch point, unlocking his frame to adjust to throws of all angles and making him a high-percentage target when he’s given opportunities despite coverage that may be working back into his frame. Golden was an impactful contested catch target in 2024 despite not having the biggest frame and boasting significant separation skills. He’s got a little something for everyone.
2025 NFL Combine Results
TBD
Positives
- Excellent route-running and ability to create separation at the top of routes with salesmanship and hard breaks
- Bounce and elevation skills are present to explode into high-point opportunities
- Illustrates very good ball-tracking skills down the field and reacts late to prevent defensive adjustments at the catch point
Negatives
- Not an overly creative run after catch target
- Some frustrating drops that are put onto his frame despite his notable catch radius
- Modest run blocking profile to serve as an asset on running downs
Background
Golden is from Houston, TX, and played high school football for Klein Cain HS. There, he was a standout football recruit who also competed in track & field. Golden triple-jumped 21.85 and ran a 10.93s 100m but was a 4-star prep recruit (247 Sports) who was awarded Special Teams Player of the Year honors as a junior and All-State honors as a senior. Golden garnered interest from a slew of programs but ultimately decided to stay local and committed to the Houston Cougars.
Golden played two seasons in Houston, appearing in 20 games on offense (17 starts) and showcasing a nose for the end zone (13 touchdowns). He also handled kickoff return duties and ran two scores back. A foot injury in 2023 cost him the final three games of the season. Golden then entered the transfer portal as a 4-star transfer (247 Sports) and enrolled at Texas.
He started all 15 games for the Longhorns in 2024 and was a featured player in the offense. At the end of the season, Golden declared for the 2025 NFL Draft and bypassed his final season of college eligibility.
Tale Of The Tape
Golden is an impressive breakout talent on the big stage — proving that his production at Houston was not just a byproduct of the level of competition. In the SEC, Golden posted a number of career bests and did so by creating impressive amounts of space in his routes.
Golden can win against press or soft-catch coverage thanks to his initial quickness, foot speed, and awareness of how his body can help to create separation at the top of the route. Golden runs an impressive variety of routes and does well to sell false breaks on his stem.
Golden was more of a screen and vertical receiver early in his career at Houston playing under Dana Holgerson — meeting the traditional Air Raid route distribution. More than 50 percent of Golden’s total routes as a freshman in 2022 were exclusively go balls and hitches. At Texas, the route distribution on such patterns was down to 34 percent. It’s still an area where he wins, thanks in large part to his ability to stack off the line and the physicality he offers with a defender in trail, but his development in this regard is exciting.
Golden will snap off the stem with hard angles and does well on his middle-of-the-field targets to hug his landmarks; this is a disciplined player who will not drift up the field aimlessly and open the window for triggering zone defenders to cut his routes and beat him to the football.
Golden may be a separator, but he has great elevation skills, very good hand-eye coordination, and just enough physicality at the catch point to be successful when the quarterback pulls him back into contact. That happened at Texas often — as Golden had as many contested catch opportunities in 2024 as he did in his prior two seasons combined. Golden won on back-shoulder targets and underthrown fades in the end zone.
His hands are good enough to pluck and attack the football away from his frame, and his drop rate was cut in half from the prior season at Houston. His total resume boasts some warts in this regard with drops and will be something to watch. Still, he was a space and RAC target at Houston and then a more down-the-field target and big-play weapon at Texas, so hopefully, the volume component can draw more consistency regarding concentration and drops.
In the run game, Golden is not a notable factor. He has been assigned intermittently with sealing on crack toss but otherwise is typically running tagged routes on run concepts or split wide and running the perimeter corner off the line of scrimmage. Golden shows sufficient grip strength and functional strength, but the effort and strain level need to be much better for him to be dropped into the slot and attack safeties, linebackers, and nickel corners. This does loom as an incomplete element of his profile and may cut down on his favorability as a true moveable asset at all times and in all down and distances.
In addition to his offensive role, Golden has served for three seasons on the kickoff team after notable prep honors in this regard. He averaged more than 25 yards per return across his three seasons and ran two scores back for Houston in 2023. There’s special team value here that can bolster his value even further if he does not claim a share of wide receiver snaps early in his career.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Golden projects as an impact starter at the NFL level. He may not be a dominant featured player in an NFL passing game, but in today’s world of multiple 100+ target pass catchers in NFL offenses, Golden has the route running, catch point, and downfield ability to justify such a workload.
He’s a scheme-diverse talent and will appeal to every NFL offense’s passing game. Golden would benefit from playing predominantly on the perimeter to avoid run/pass tells and allow him to run off coverage instead of being a primary player attacking the core.
Grade: 80.50/100.00, Late First/Early Second Round Value
Big Board Rank: TBD
Position Rank: TBD
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