GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Matthew Golden was well aware that the Green Bay Packers hadn’t selected a wide receiver in the first round of the NFL draft since 2002.
But that didn’t shake Golden’s confidence that his name would be called by the Packers.
The host team for this year’s draft selected the Texas star wide receiver at No. 23 overall on Thursday night.
“I definitely knew they didn’t take a receiver from that long ago,” Golden told reporters. “And I had a good relationship with ’em when I came up here on my visit. I got around the coaching staff and I seen how the culture was here and I enjoyed it.”
The previous time the Packers used their first-round pick to select a wide receiver was Javon Walker at 20th overall 23 years ago. In fact, this is just the sixth time in the past 20 years the Packers have used a first-round pick on an offensive player, which includes quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers (2005) and Jordan Love (2020).
Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy, who is retiring in July and announced the pick to the massive hometown crowd gathered outside Lambeau Field, made it a point to mention to the fans the long drought of not selecting a playmaker for the team’s quarterbacks.
“I really sent in a different name, but Mark just announced what he announced,” joked Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst.
Golden was one of 15 prospects in attendance at the draft. After being picked, Golden made his way from the green room to the draft stage where Green Bay fans greeted him with exuberant cheers.
“I never felt nothing like it,” Golden said. “Man, I wish I could go right back out there right now. It was so cool, the energy that the Packers’ fans got. I mean, I could just feel it and I’m just so excited to be here and I’m glad the organization picked me.”
Gutekunst had Golden come to Green Bay a couple of weeks before the draft; he made a great impression on Green Bay’s front office.
“Really excited to bring Matthew into the fold,” Gutekunst said. “I think he’s going to do a lot of things for us. Obviously, he’s a very gifted athlete, a gifted football player, but he’s also just wired exactly how we want our guys in the locker room. I think he’s a good fit.”
The 21-year-old Golden is coming off an excellent junior season in which he had 58 catches for 987 yards and nine touchdowns. During nine of Texas’ games, Golden averaged 20 yards per catch.
A speedster, clocking a 40-yard dash time of 4.29 seconds, Golden isn’t prototypical wide receiver size at 5-foot-11.
However, he has the ability to play all the receiving positions.
“He’s kind of above the Mendoza line for that outside, but not by much,” Gutekunst said. “Obviously, he has elite speed. His ability to stretch the field outside the numbers is really, really important. And when you watch him, we thought arguably he had some of the best hands in the draft.”
Golden joins a young but deep and talented Packers wide receiving group. Green Bay is looking for a true No. 1 receiver with Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton and Malik Heath all playing integral roles on last season’s team.
Reed was the Packers’ leading receiver in 2024 with 857 yards. Watson, who tore his ACL late in the season and is expected to miss a significant chunk of the 2025 season, added 620 yards and Doubs came through with 601 yards. Green Bay has not had a 1,000-yard receiver since Davante Adams in 2021.
Even with high expectations heading to Green Bay after the franchise used its top pick on him, Golden doesn’t feel any extra pressure to perform.
“God put me in this situation for a reason. He wouldn’t bring me here if I couldn’t handle it,” Golden said. “Like I said, I know it’s gonna come with a lot but that’s what I want. I want to be pushed. I want as much as I can get. I’m gonna put my best foot forward and I’m gonna make sure I always come out on top.”
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Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden poses on the carpet before first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)
FILE - Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden catches a pass against Ohio State during the second half of the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal game, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson, File)
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The horn sounded, signaling UConn's return to the national championship game for the third time in four seasons. And freshman Braylon Mullins raised his arms in triumph, a huge smile on his face as he trotted over to join his celebrating Huskies teammates.
Not far away, Illinois freshman Keaton Wagler headed dejectedly to his bench, pulling his jersey over his face. He disappeared into the arms of consoling teammates, then emerged with his head covered by a towel as the handshake line formed.
Only one of the two fantastic freshmen could end the night in triumph, but both led their teams on a rough offensive night for the Huskies and the Illini in UConn's 71-62 win Saturday in the Final Four.
Mullins — the home-state hero who hit an incredible shot to send UConn to Indianapolis — got off to a fast start and finished with four 3-pointers and 15 points. Wagler, a second-team All-American, had a game-high 20 points to go with eight rebounds while the Illini never found the groove that had brought them to their first Final Four since 2005.
Both hit key 3s as UConn fought to maintain its tenuous late lead. And by the final horn, Mullins and Wagler had become the first opposing freshmen with at least 15 points in a Final Four game since 1982 — when a couple of kids named Michael Jordan (North Carolina) and Patrick Ewing (Georgetown) were squaring off for the national title.
Only Mullins will have a chance to add to his March run.
“We’re so ready for the national championship game,” Mullins said after exchanging an exuberant hug with coach Dan Hurley. “This is what I came here for. Let’s get it on Monday.”
Mullins was a prep star out of Greenfield, roughly 30 miles from Lucas Oil Stadium, the cavernous home of the Indianapolis Colts that hosted the Final Four. He was already the star of the week in Indianapolis after hitting the 3-pointer that capped UConn's stunning comeback from 19 points down to beat No. 1 overall tournament seed Duke in the Elite Eight last weekend.
This time, he faced an opponent that had elevated its defense to go with its season-long efficiency. The Illini allowed just 0.976 points per possession through four NCAA Tournament wins to lead the four remaining teams while leaning on their paint-controlling size advantage.
That only magnified the importance of Mullins, a 6-foot-6 wing who came armed with a fearless look — whether shaking off a second half full of misses or ending up on the floor after getting stuffed at the rim on a baseline drive before halftime.
He set the tone during the opening three minutes, when he knocked down his first two 3-point tries, the second after losing Jake Davis around a screen then backpedaling and clapping with a big grin. He even banked in a straightaway 3 for a 37-27 lead, prompting him to grin sheepishly and stick out his tongue.
“The shot clock was winding down and I was just trying to find a pick and pop,” Mullins told reporters huddled around his locker. “I knew when I saw that separation I was going to put it up. But I did not expect to hit glass. You’ve got to have a smile on your face when that happens because those shots do happen.”
He saved his biggest moment for the second half. Mullins was 0 for 5 since halftime when Illinois had trimmed a 14-point deficit to four. Alex Karaban missed a 3-pointer, but Silas Demary Jr. outfought Illinois’ Ben Humrichous for the rebound to set up Mullins’ 3 with 52.1 seconds left.
It was his only second-half basket as UConn shot just 28.6% after halftime in a rock fight of a game.
It was a harder night for Wagler, the former four-star recruit who rose to prominence this season as part of a stellar freshman class nationally. He finished 7 for 16 from the floor but went just 2 for 10 from 3-point range — he entered shooting 40.7% from behind the arc — on a night when Illinois shot just 33.9% overall.
“I felt like I was settled in, it was just my shot was off, which happens,” Wagler said. “So I was just trying to stay confident throughout the game and keep shooting them. I felt like I'm a good shooter so I kept shooting them.”
He came through with a big one to answer Mullins' late 3, hitting a step-back against Demary with 43.5 seconds left to keep Illinois within four. But he missed another one moments later, slapping his right thigh in frustration as it became clear the game was finally out of reach.
By the end of the night, he sat his locker with teammate Ty Rodgers' left arm wrapped around him.
“Every day when you go through something like this with a group for this long, and you love them, it's hard when it ends,” Wagler said, pausing to fight back tears as Rodgers patted him on the shoulder. “You know, when it ends, it's just sad.”
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
UConn's Braylon Mullins (24) and head coach Dan Hurley celebrate after defeating Illinois in an an NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Illinois' David Mirkovic (0) and Keaton Wagler reacts after losing to UConn in an NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Illinois guard Keaton Wagler (23) drives against UConn during the second half of an NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Illinois' Keaton Wagler (23) drives around UConn's Malachi Smith during the second half of an NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
UConn guard Braylon Mullins (24) celebrates a basket against Illinois during the second half of an NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
UConn guard Braylon Mullins (24) rebounds against Illinois during the second half of an NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
