Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft: Matthew Golden (Pick 1.12)

The Green Bay Packers went 23 years without drafting a wide receiver in the first round. That streak ended with Matthew Golden at, ironically, No. 23 overall in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

It would be fitting if Golden is also a first-round selection in dynasty rookie drafts.

Golden probably isn't as much of a slam dunk first-round pick in fantasy leagues as the real life draft, but he's certainly in the conversation. His likelihood of making an immediate impact and future upside in the Packers offense make him an intriguing choice for PPR formats.

With that in mind, Golden is our pick at No. 12 overall in our rookie PPR dynasty mock draft. That makes him the final first-round pick of our mock.

Let's dive into why Golden could provide value at that selection:

Pick 1.12: WR Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers

The Packers are clearly an organization that takes drafting receivers early very seriously. Green Bay has found value at receiver in later rounds, but the franchise was also well overdue for a stud at the position.

They believe they found it in Golden. That confidence should give fantasy managers a good feeling around the receiving prospect right away.

Golden gives fantasy managers statistical reasons to be confident as well. In just one season at Texas, the wideout posted 17 yards per catch and led the SEC with nine receiving touchdowns. He posted 987 receiving yards with 58 catches.

Before transferring to Texas for the 2024 campaign, Golden posted back-to-back 38-reception seasons with Houston. He had 13 touchdowns in 20 games during the 2022-23 seasons combined.

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein projected Golden to have the potential to become a WR1 at the NFL level as well because of his "starting-level traits." His versatility is also attractive. Golden can play all three receiver spots, which could be key in Green Bay.

The Packers are quietly building a young offensive nucleus around relatively young quarterback Jordan Love. Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed have already been cementing themselves as starters, and the Packers have hope Christian Watson will return healthy and contribute in 2025.

The Packers also have Dontayvion Wicks in the receiver room.

But Golden is likely going to play in front of Wicks, and Watson might not be back until the midseason point of the regular season because of his torn ACL in Week 18 last season.

Golden can play outside if he earns opportunities. But he won't have to because he can contribute immediately in the slot.

That versatility makes Golden a candidate to be one of the more productive rookie wideouts this season. But the long-term upside is there too because of the stability of the Packers organization, particularly on offense with Love, head coach Matt LaFleur and the team's playmakers.

Once fully developed, Golden could very well become the unit's top outside playmaker. At the very least, though, he's a big-play threat down the field in an offense that has the potential for big plays but needed a stud to create them down the sidelines.

Golden doesn't quite have the pedigree of the other top rookies in the class. He's not likely to rise rookie draft boards this summer and threaten to be a top five pick.

But he's a steady pick with upside in the Packers offense. Fantasy managers can do a lot worst at the end of the first round.

That completes our first-round rookie PPR dynasty mock draft. Here are all the other selections from the mock draft below:

No. 1: Las Vegas Raiders' Ashton Jeanty
No. 2: Los Angeles Chargers' Omarion Hampton
No. 3: Carolina Panthers' Tetairoa McMillan
No. 4: Jacksonville Jaguars' Travis Hunter
No. 5: New England Patriots' TreVeyon Henderson
No. 6: Cleveland Browns' Quinshon Judkins
No. 7: Tennessee Titans' Cam Ward
No. 8: Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Emeka Egbuka
No. 9: Indianapolis Colts' Tyler Warren
No. 10: Pittsburgh Steelers' Kaleb Johnson
No. 11: Chicago Bears' Colston Loveland