People who thought Green Bay Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden was a bust after one year in the NFL are now looking quite silly. Through three weeks, the 2025 first-round pick has been one of the most productive receivers in football, and a new ESPN metric backs that up.

ESPN Analytics released its Receiver Scores earlier this week, updated through Week 3. The scores are refreshed weekly and use player tracking data from NFL Next Gen Stats to evaluate every route a pass catcher runs. They grade his performance in three phases from 0 to 99.

So far, Golden is a top 5 wide receiver in the NFL with an overall score of 72. The only players ahead of him are Seattle Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba, San Francisco 49ers’ Mike Evans, Philadelphia Eagles’ DeVonta Smith, and New York Jets’ Garrett Wilson.

Good at essentially everything

The scores split receivers into three categories: ability to get open, catching the football, and yards after the catch. Golden ranks 15th in the open category, 12th in catch, and ninth in yards after the catch.

The big aspect is that Golden doesn’t have a weak spot. He is above 54 in all three categories, including a 76 in his ability to catch the football. That’s what makes his game more valuable.

Last year, the advanced stats showed a player who wasn’t producing much. But that wasn’t because Golden failed to get open or wasted the targets thrown his way. He simply wasn’t getting enough opportunities. When the Packers did target him, he showed strong hands and the ability to generate yards after the catch. With more chances in Year 2, he is showing exactly that.

Production matches the metrics

The circumstances are different this season. Green Bay has fewer wide receivers competing for targets, and that has opened the door. Nonetheless, the results are hard to ignore.

After three weeks, the Packers have two wide receivers in the top eight in receiving yards. Christian Watson ranks fifth with 284 yards, and Golden is eighth with 253 yards.

That puts Watson and Golden ahead of both Cincinnati Bengals receivers, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The Packers first-rounder also has more receiving yards than receivers like Amon-Ra St. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Garrett Wilson, Zay Flowers, and Justin Jefferson. That’s a strong list to clear in any three-game stretch, let alone for a second-year player coming off a quiet rookie season.

The advanced metrics confirm what the box score already suggested. Golden has been a fantastic weapon for Green Bay, and he is taking the leap that was expected of him in his second season.

Bigger role ahead

His importance to the offense is about to grow. With Jayden Reed out for the season with a neck injury, Golden’s role should become even bigger and more relevant for the Packers.

That’s a lot of responsibility for a young receiver. But nothing in the first three weeks suggests he can’t handle it. So far, the Packers are reaping the benefits of the decision to draft Golden in the first round, and the people who wrote him off after one season are already being proven wrong.