After using their first-round pick on him in April’s draft, the Green Bay Packers were expecting a lot out of speedster Matthew Golden.

Golden didn’t make much of an impact during his first two games. He reeled in both his targets in Week 1 against the Lions but for only 16 yards, and he and Jordan Love failed to connect on a couple deep shots in Week 2 against the Commanders. There were a few rookie mistakes, as well, such as a punt return that he shouldn’t have caught and ended up losing 2 yards.

In that game against Washington, though, he was able to show his ability to move to different spots within the offense, running the ball twice for 15 yards. While he looks good with the ball in his hands on jet sweeps and end-arounds, that’s not why the Packers made Golden their first receiver drafted in the first round since 2002.

Golden was a big-play receiver during his lone season at Texas in 2024. He had 58 receptions for 987 yards, which is an average of 17 yards per reception, and added nine touchdowns to help bring the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff semifinals. His speed and explosiveness through the air is what the Packers wanted to add to their offense, and they finally got what they wanted in Week 3 despite the loss at the Cleveland Browns.

Golden led the team with 52 receiving yards and caught all four targets, which made him second on the team in receptions behind Josh Jacobs.

Golden had the play of the day on offense as the Packers struggled to move the ball against Cleveland’s No. 1-rated defense. Backed up on the Packers’ 4-yard line, Golden used his 4.29 speed to blow by Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward. With no safety help over the top, Jordan Love was able to connect with Golden for a 34-yard gain, the longest play of the day for the Packers.

The play ended when Golden ran out of bounds, which was unfortunate for the Packers because he had nothing but green grass ahead of him, assuming he could outrun the safety that was just a few yards behind him. With Golden’s speed, this was almost a sure touchdown.

It seems that the throw forced Golden’s momentum to bring him too close to the sideline, and a slight stumble right after the catch was the nail in the coffin to push him out of bounds.

“It felt good,” Golden told reporters after the game. “Really don’t matter. We didn’t come out with the win. It’s just about going back to the drawing board and getting ready for Dallas.”

Despite the disappointment of Golden not being able to turn this play into a touchdown, it was a flash of his strongest attributes as a receiver. He used his speed to get open and showed his great hands and body control to bring in the over-the-shoulder catch. All that is left to see is his breakaway speed after the catch and his ability to make defenders miss with the ball in his hands.

The Packers tried to get Golden involved on the ground, giving him the ball three times for just 9 yards against the best rushing defense in the NFL. Along with the runs, the Packers got the ball to him on a screen when he was put in motion, showing they want to get the ball in his hands as much as possible.

“Coming into the league, we knew he was fast, we knew he could catch,” passing-game coordinator Jason Vrable said last week. “I think he’s gotten open. I thought Week 2 was a better performance overall than Week 1. Our coaching staff saw on the tape after the game, you’re like, ‘Man, he was open on a lot of these plays.’ He played faster.

“I just think continuing to work on his shot clock. I think what happens so many times for young players, they just rush their routes because they want the end result and the process is your route’s supposed to be 18 to 20 and if you cut at 14, you might be open but the QB’s not always ready to throw. I think that’s the biggest growth for guys as they get in the league is just seeing the big picture, the timing, your shot clock, how it marries up to the quarterback that it’s not always just about you getting open.”

While the loss was disappointing, especially to an 0-2 opponent, having your first-round pick lead the team in receiving is something the Packers can hang their hats on, especially with Love having such little time to scan the field and get a throw off.

With Golden starting to settle into life in the NFL, the Packers on Sunday night will play at the Cowboys, whose secondary has struggled this season. The next step for Golden is to take advantage of that secondary, which could struggle to contain his speed, and find the end zone for his first career touchdown as he steps up to become an increasingly important part of the Packers’ depleted receiving room.