Texas Longhorns Star Earns NFL Draft Invitation

The past year and change has been nothing short of life-changing for Texas Longhorns wide receiver Matthew Golden.

After transferring from Houston, Golden became the Longhorns' go-to receiver, hauling in 58 receptions for a team-high 987 yards and nine touchdowns. He was responsible for some monumental plays as well, most notably keeping Texas' season alive in overtime of the Peach Bowl against Arizona State.

Now, his NFL dreams are about to come true, and he'll be there to experience it.

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Matthew Golden celebrates a catch in the second quarter against the Clemson Tigers. | Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dane Brugler of The Athletic reports that Golden has accepted an invitation to attend the NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisc. Most players who attend the draft are projected first-round picks, and Golden - who is expected to be one of the first wide receivers off the board if not the first - fits right in.

In addition to his strong production at Texas and at Houston before that, Golden also brings impressive athleticism to the table. The Houston native ran a 4.29-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, ranking first among wide receivers and second among all players. That speed very much shows on the field, as he routinely burned opposing defensive backs.

Golden is the No. 19 overall player in NFL Mock Draft Database's consensus rankings. He's the second highest-ranked receiver behind Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan at No. 11.

Several teams picking in the mid-late first round have a need at wide receiver. Some of those teams include the Arizona Cardinals (No. 16 overall), Seattle Seahawks (No. 18), Denver Broncos (No. 20), Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 21), Los Angeles Chargers (No. 22), Green Bay Packers (No. 23) and Houston Texans (No. 25). As such, that range seems to be the sweet spot for him to go.

The Longhorns just had another speedy wide receiver go in the first round last year with Xavier Worthy, who went No. 27 overall to the Kansas City Chiefs and became the first Texas player to score in the Super Bowl. Now, they could send another speedy wideout off to the pros.