Entering the offseason with a significant need at wide receiver, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been tied to a number of names at the position, both in free agency and in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Though the wide receiver group isn’t as deep or as talented as in past drafts, there are a few names at the top of the class that should have the Steelers interested. One of those names happened to have phenomenal performance at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last week, which has ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. believing the Steelers should take a long, hard look at him at No. 21 overall in the first round.
That would be Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden.
Golden measured in at 5110, 191 pounds with 30 5/8-inch arms, 9 1/2-inch hands, and clocked a 4.29 40-yard dash with a 1.49 10-yard split. That 40-yard dash has people buzzing coming out of the Combine regarding the Texas playmaker, and that includes Kiper.
In a piece for ESPN.com Monday morning, Kiper highlighted Golden as one of his top risers coming out of the Combine and spoke about the Steelers needing to be involved with Golden at No. 21 in the first round.
“Texas teammate Isaiah Bond might have received the buzz coming into the Combine, but Golden stole it with a 4.29-second run in the 40. He has serious wheels. Golden didn’t do the jumps, but that 40 time will propel him up the board,” Kiper writes, according to ESPN.com. “His production was impressive last season (987 yards and nine touchdowns), and he emerged as the Longhorns’ top receiver, despite the expectation that Bond would be that guy.
“Golden entered Combine week as my No. 5 receiver in the class and in the early-Round 2 mix. But now, he is probably a top-25 pick. The Steelers (No. 21) and Chargers (No. 22) could give him a long look.”
Leading up to the Combine, Golden was connected to the Steelers multiple times via mock drafts in the first round, though Kiper had him as an early second-round guy.
Needing a good route runner with speed opposite George Pickens, it’s understandable why Matthew Golden has been tabbed as that potential answer for the Steelers at the receiver position. In fact, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah compared Golden to former Steelers receiver and Super Bowl XLIII hero Santonio Holmes.
During his time at Texas and Houston, Golden was a significant playmaker. Golden amassed 134 receptions for 1,975 yards and 22 touchdowns in college. He also returned kicks, with two kick-return TDs in 2023. During the 2024 season at Texas, Golden hauled in 58 receptions for 987 yards and nine TDs, helping lead the Longhorns to the College Football Playoffs once again.
Throughout the initial stages of the pre-draft process, Golden has been the most-mocked player to the Steelers in Pro Football Focus’ draft simulator, too.
Steelers Depot’s Jim Hester, in his scouting report of Golden for the site, compared Golden to former Green Bay Packers receiver Greg Jennings.
“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, dependable, and can be relied upon to get open in any area of the field. There is no system where he wouldn’t fit in seamlessly. To say whether he can be a No. 1 WR option on a team eventually is debatable, but he can come in and be a high-impact starter right away. Golden showed a lot of similarities to Greg Jennings this past year at Texas,” Hester writes.
Though the Steelers have a greater need along the defensive line than at receiver, a player like Golden makes a great deal of sense for the Black and Gold. We’ll see if the Steelers are at the Texas Pro Day once again, after receivers coach Zach Azzanni was there last year.
