The Green Bay Packers went more than two decades without taking a wide receiver in the first round. That means they went through all of Aaron Rodgers' career with the organization without spending prime draft capital on one of his weapons.
That's why expectations were so high for Matthew Golden last season. However, the team took things slowly with the rookie out of Texas, and while he wouldn't be the first rookie with a discrete first year, it was certainly disappointing.
Notably, that's also why there's even more pressure on him ahead of year two. But, judging by Adam Stenavich's latest take on him, he's more than ready to embrace the challenge. When asked about Golden, the Packers' offensive coordinator used the words 'violent' and 'on fire.'
Matthew Golden is 'on fire' ahead of year two with the Packers
“MG has been on fire the last few weeks as far as just like how he's burning routes with the violence he's had. Great hands, all that stuff. So it's been cool to watch him again go out there against probably the best corner in the NFL and do what he did. It's very encouraging," Stenavich said (h/t MicNuggets).
Golden only played a handful of snaps in the blowout win over the Denver Broncos. He hauled in his only target for 19 yards in his preseason debut after sitting out the opener vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers.
As a rookie, he made 14 regular-season appearances (five starts) and had 29 receptions on 44 targets for 361 yards, averaging a modest 25.8 yards per game and failing to find paydirt until his playoff debut. He also had 10 carries for 49 yards.
Even so, there were some flashes here and there. He was a big factor in the Wild Card round loss to the Chicago Bears, turning five targets into four grabs for 84 yards and a score. According to most offseason reviews, he's carried that momentum into training camp.
Love's breakaway speed makes him the team's biggest deep-play threat. He might be the most explosive player on the offense as well, with backup running back MarShawn Lloyd as a close second if he can stay healthy, which is a big if.
The Packers let Romeo Doubs go and traded Dontayvion Wicks. Tucker Kraft should be back to full strength for Week 1, but he's still coming off a major injury and might need some time to recover his twitchiness as the team's top YAC specialist.
Even so, it looks like the team likes its chances with its trimmed-out wide receiver corps. And while Christian Watson should be the No. 1 target, Golden is certainly trending in the right direction after a quiet rookie campaign.
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