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Matthew Golden got to live out the dream back in April when he heard his name called in the NFL Draft — but he had one more dream to accomplish.
Godlen was the 23rd pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and landed with the Green Bay Packers, becoming the team’s first wide receiver selected in the first round since 2002. As an added bonus, he got a rousing ovation upon taking the stage, since the draft was right outside Lambeau Field.
“It was a crazy atmosphere. The fans in general — it’s different in Green Bay. Packer fans, they’re so genuine, and they really love Green Bay. I can tell by the energy at practice. It’s a cool place to be and kind of makes me want to practice. They’re out there at practice giving us juice and energy. It’s really cool,” Golden said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.
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Wide Receiver Matthew Golden of Texas poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and President and CEO of the Green Bay Packers Mark Murphy after being selected twenty-third overall pick by the Green Bay Packers during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field on April 24, 2025 in Green Bay. (IMAGN)
It’s been a whirlwind of an offseason for Golden. Right after his final season at Texas ended in the College Football Playoff semifinals, he had to almost immediately grind for the draft. Then came rookie camp, OTAs, minicamp, and now training camp. Essentially, he has not been truly off in about a year.
But Golden knew what he signed up for.
“It’s everything I dreamed of as a kid, was to be able to make it to the NFL, go to the draft… I felt like the whole process, I definitely took it in and enjoyed it. Now I’m at a great organization where I can just play football have fun.”
Getting drafted, however, wasn’t even his “biggest achievement.”
That was a promise he made to himself years ago as a child, when he decided to give back to his family that had struggled throughout his upbringing. When Golden was 12 years old, he and his family lost the property of his grandmother’s house.
Wide Receiver Matthew Golden of Texas poses after being selected twenty-third overall pick by the Green Bay Packers during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field on April 24, 2025 in Green Bay. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
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“It always stuck with me that I wanted to do something good for my family, which was get that property back.”
Shortly after getting drafted, Golden said the first thing he would do with his new money would be to buy his grandmother a house. He wasn’t able to get the exact property due to its current condition, but with the help of RE/MAX, he got a nearby house in Houston.
“It was great. Just seeing the look on my grandma’s face when I told her the house was hers, she had a lot of emotions, man. It was a cool moment for me.
“She’s living good, man.”
Golden surprised his grandmother with the house on July 10. She celebrated her new yard and pulled out a “closet dance.”
It’s been a top-notch 2025 for Golden, but there’s still one more goal to accomplish.
Matthew Golden bought his grandma a new house, a promise he made as a kid when she lost her home years ago. (RE/MAX)
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“As a team, we always talk about getting the Lombardi Trophy. That’s the question mark we’ve got in a team room,” he said. “And I feel like for us every day, that’s what we’re trying to achieve. We’re getting better offensively and defensively. We’re pushing each other. We all know what the end goal is, and that’s the Super Bowl. That’s what we’re chasing.”
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