Acme Packing Company
After coming in as a much-ballyhooed first-round pick, Matthew Golden hasn’t exactly set the world on fire. After 2 catches for 16 yards in Week 1, his stat line looked even less full in Week 2: 2 carries for 15 yards and 0 catches on 2 targets.
But stats and film are two different things, so I wanted to take a look at what Golden did in Week 2 against the Commanders, and I’m going to make it your problem.
First things first: let’s just talk about the two carries he got. The speed and shiftiness is certainly on display, and the Packers are clearly looking for ways to get the ball in his hands, which is a good sign.
Beyond what they’ve given him as part of the running game, they’re also asking him to hold his own as a blocker in the run game. At 5’11”, 191 lbs, he’s not going to be a lockdown blocker, but I’ve been impressed with his willingness and effectiveness. When looking at a WR as a blocker (particularly a rookie WR), I’m looking for two main things: does he give effort, and does he know his assignment? Through two games, I can say that the answer is “yes” to both of those for Golden.
Now, to the passing game, starting with the targets. He’s not doing anything spectacular on the first route, but it’s effective. He’s the outside man in a 2×2 formation against man coverage. He starts his route vertically to the outside before bending back in. It’s not much, but that initial outside push is enough to get his defender to open up to the outside, forcing him to flip back inside when Golden bends back in. Nice, subtle route to get the initial separation and the speed to keep that separation down the field.
Unfortunately, Jordan Love slightly underthrows the ball, leading to a pass breakup.
The next target sees Golden outside in a 2×2 once again. The Commanders have two men to his side, but Golden simply runs right through them. Love sets, loads & fires, and slightly overthrows Golden this time.
Split the difference on those throws, and we’re probably sitting here talking about a two-touchdown game from Golden. Unfortunately, that’s not how football works, so he’s 0/2.
As for the times he wasn’t targeted in the passing game? Pretty good!
One thing that was tough to tell from Golden’s college tape – from most WR college tape, really – was his release off the line. There are very few examples of press coverage in college, so it’s tough to know how effective a WR will be once he faces that in the NFL. The early returns are showing that Golden has a good enough release package off the line to get him free releases.
His footwork allows him to maneuver his defender out of position, then use his speed to stack his defender down the field to create separation and give his QB a good target....
