Golden was one of the stars of the pre-draft process, eventually landing in Green Bay with the 23rd overall pick after running a 4.29 40 at 5-foot-11, 191 pounds. That puts him on the small side for an NFL wideout in general, yet makes him notably heavier than undersized burners of recent years like Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown. It was Worthy who Golden replaced at Texas, transferring for 2024 after catching 76 passes for 988 yards and 13 TDs in two seasons at Houston. The one year in Austin yielded a 58-987-9 receiving line in 16 games, highlighted by a 162-yard performance against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game and a 149-yard showing against ASU in the CFP Quarterfinals. Golden finished the season with more yards and TDs than teammates Isaiah Bond and Gunnar Helm, both fellow 2025 draft prospects. It shouldn't take long for Golden to get on the field in Green Bay, but it's hard to say if he'll be there to frequently catch passes or just to run a lot of clear-out routes. The team's other deep threat, Christian Watson, likely will miss a chunk of the season after suffering an ACL tear late in 2024, leaving Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks as the main obstacles to immediate playing time for Golden.
