The Green Bay Packers have left plenty to be desired through the first three weeks of the season. Jordan Love might get some of the blame, though it's almost impossible to succeed behind the worst offensive line in football and no running game whatsoever.
But as ugly as the operation has been, the Packers should still feel great about Matthew Golden. Nothing, not even their own offensive woes, has been enough to stop the second-year wide receiver thus far.
There were major questions about the Texas product after an underwhelming rookie season. But now that he's finally getting involved in Matt LaFleur's offense, it looks like the Packers struck gold with their first first-round wide receiver in decades.
Matthew Golden's breakout is gold for the Green Bay Packers
Golden's speed made him a first-round pick, but it takes much more than that to thrive in the league. The Packers barely used him in year one, and they've been much more creative with his routes thus far this season.
He hasn't lined up in the slot as often this season, with Pro Football Focus (subscription required) showing that 86 percent of his routes have come outside. As a result, most of his advanced and traditional metrics have gone up.
Golden is averaging a whopping 2.33 yards per route run, an average distance of target of 14.2, and 6.4 yards after the catch per reception. According to DraftKings Network, he's also posted an average separation of 2.6 yards per route. He's making guys miss on the open field, and while drops have been a concern, he looks much more confident with more freedom.
The Packers' passing game has been a two-man show thus far, with Golden and Christian Watson going toe-to-toe in targets, receptions, and receiving yards. Notably, Golden didn't have to wait until the playoffs to get his first touchdown grab of the season, though he's still far behind Watson in that regard (1 to 4).
Expectations will always be high for Packers wide receivers, more so for the guy who finally broke the first-round pick spell. That didn't help much during his rookie season, and while he didn't live up to the hype early on, this team usually takes its time with first-year players.
Now, with Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks gone, Jayden Reed hurt, and Tucker Kraft struggling to get back to his usual self, the Packers have turned to Golden more often than any other player, and he's responded more often than not.
There are still things to clean up, of course, but he'll be the first to benefit from better offensive execution overall. If the new-look line can get it together and they can develop some sort of running game, Golden's stock should only continue to rise.
Add us as a preferred source on Google