Texas WR Matthew Golden appears to have a pre-draft visit set up with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Earlier today, he shared a photo of him driving into the city.
One of the most popular players ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh is just one of several meetings Golden has scheduled this month. Breaking out during Texas’ playoff run, Golden is battling to be the first wide receiver selected in this month’s draft.
Though not physically imposing at 5’11 and 191 pounds, his route-running and ability to separate make him an attractive prospect. Transferring from Houston to Texas for the 2024 season, Golden caught 58 passes for 987 yards and nine touchdowns. That included a 162-yard performance in the SEC Title game against Georgia followed by a 149-yard, one-score showing in the playoffs to beat Arizona State.
He impressed at the NFL Combine, turning in a blazing 4.29 40-yard dash and 1.49-second ten-yard split.
In our scouting report, we noted that Golden showed his speed on tape, with the ability to change directions and create space against defenders. He also offered versatility, with the ability to return kicks. Negatively, drops were a big problem on his tape, and his frame limited YAC opportunities.
Overall, we concluded:
“Matthew 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 #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.”
And gave him a first-round grade. Others have compared Golden to ex-Steelers’ receiver Santonio Holmes.
Despite trading for WR DK Metcalf last month, Pittsburgh has done its homework on wide receivers. Receivers’ coach Zach Azzanni attended more Pro Days than any other Steelers’ positional coach this cycle, suggesting the team still has high interest in upgrading the position. George Pickens and Calvin Austin III are entering the final year of their rookie contracts.
Check out our full report on Golden below.
