When Daniel Jeremiah posts his mock draft 1.0, draft season is officially underway. In his opening mock, he had the Pittsburgh Steelers addressing a big need, taking a huge step toward alleviating one of their biggest 2024 roster issues. He has them selecting Texas WR Matthew Golden with the No. 21 pick in the first round.
“I don’t think the Steelers could go wrong drafting Golden or Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka here,” Jeremiah wrote. “They go with Golden in this case, but they are both professional route runners with outstanding hands and toughness.”
Egbuka is the other popular name if the Steelers go with a receiver in the first round, and Jeremiah acknowledged that it could go either way.
As for Golden, he spent his first two seasons at Houston before transferring to Texas. With just three years of college, he has youth on his side at just 21 years old, with a birthday in August.
Golden caught 134 passes for 1,975 yards and 22 TDs in college. He also returned kicks for both of his college teams, including a pair of kick return TDs in 2023.
He had the best season of his collegiate career in 2024 with Texas with 58 receptions for 987 yards and nine TDs, with mostly Quinn Ewers throwing him the football.
Golden is listed on the Texas website as 6-0, 195 pounds. A foot injury cut short his 2023 season after nine games, but he was otherwise pretty healthy throughout college.
Jim Hester completed his scouting report for the site and graded him as a first-round talent and an 8.8 on our draft grade scale.
“Golden can play all receiver positions due to his versatility, ability to win downfield, route running, and explosiveness. He is truly a weapon on offense,” Hester wrote.
PFF gave Golden a 74.0 grade in 2024, with 118 snaps in the slot and 376 out wide. They had him down for eight missed tackles forced, 11 contested catches, and four drops.
