“We’ve had challenges”: Matthew Golden’s grandmother holds her tears back as Texas WR becomes Packers’ first-round pick

Former Texas Longhorns wide receiver Matthew Golden broke a long-standing streak as soon as he entered the league. The talented pass catcher became the first wide receiver the Green Bay Packers selected in the first round of the draft since 2002.

Packers CEO and president Mark Murphy - who is stepping away from the position this year - built up the momentum. He announced to fans that they would see something not done for over two decades before calling Golden.

Once he became an official NFL player, Matthew Golden showed love to his family while mentioning his desire to buy a property for them. His grandmother reacted to his selection and recalled all the things that happened so Golden could become a professional athlete.

"It's amazing. It's been a long journey. From a little kid, he's had challenges, we've had challenges, but we had faith and prayed and we knew the day he was born he would be a superstar. But we had no imagination like this. This is absolutely phenomenal."

Matthew Golden - who played two seasons with the Houston Cougars before joining the Longhorns in 2024 - finished his college career with 134 receptions for 1975 yards and 22 touchdowns.

He joins a talented wide receiver room with names such as Jayden Reed, Mecole Hardman, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.

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Matthew Golden can fulfill long-time promise to his grandmother

Before the Green Bay Packers selected him in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, Matthew Golden sat down with Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman of On3. He was asked about what he'd like to buy with his first NFL check and didn't hesitate to say he wanted to buy a house for his grandma.

"Definitely give my grandma a house," he said. "We lost our property a couple of years ago, that's somewhere I grew up when I was younger. It'd be a blessing to get that back for my family. That's where they all grew up, that's where I grew up.

"I always told myself I wanted to do that and now I'm in the position to do it, so if it's bound to happen, I'm gonna make it happen for sure."

Golden has become the man of the hour in Green Bay. The challenge will become bigger once he starts playing in the league, but the character and maturity he's shown so far demonstrate that he's focused on the crucial things.