Matthew Golden NFL Draft Profile: College Stats, 40 Time, Combine Results, Top Comps

The NFL Combine process went very well for Texas Longhorns wide receiver Matthew Golden.

Golden logged a 4.29-second 40-yard dash (best at the position), and overall, Golden was one of the 5 Biggest Winners from the 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Combine.

Let's take a closer look at -- possibly -- the top receiver prospect in the 2025 class.

Note: Stats via Pro Football Focus (PFF); percentile ranks, model references, schedule-adjusted stats, and further context via my personal draft model, which includes all drafted FBS players since 2015.

Matthew Golden NFL Draft Key Information

• Height: 5'11"
• Weight: 191
• 40-Yard Dash: 4.29 seconds
• Size-Adjusted Speed: 110.2 (86th percentile)
• 2024 Games: 16
• 2024 Catches: 58
• 2024 Receiving Yards: 987
• 2024 Receiving TDs: 9

Matthew Golden Top Comparables

Based on myriad factors (height, weight, size-adjusted speed, schedule-adjusted production, air yards data, recruiting and big board grades, and more), here are Golden's top comparables based on my historical draft model.

1. John Metchie III
2. Marvin Mims
3. Curtis Samuel
4. Chris Olave
5. Isaiah Bond
6. John Ross
7. Garrett Wilson
8. Devin Smith
9. Corey Coleman
10. Will Fuller

Matthew Golden Scouting Report

This take seems a lot less spicy after the NFL Combine, but Matthew Golden is the top wideout prospect in my model for the 2025 draft class.

Compared to all drafted FBS receivers since the 2015 class, Golden's overall model rating (fitted for NFL production over a player's first four seasons) puts him in the 90th-percentile, so while he is the top of the class, he's not necessarily a can't miss-prospect. (For context, Jerry Jeudy, George Pickens, Tee Higgins, and Calvin Ridley bookend Golden's name in my overall prospect ratings -- different than his top comparables.)

Golden owns early-declare status after playing three seasons in college (two with the Houston Cougars and with Texas), though he didn’t net a 1,000-yard season in college.

The top guy in the class without a 1,000-yard season? Yeah, and here's why. Golden had to contend with other top pass-catching prospects, and no Longhorn had more yards (987) this year than Golden.

A four-star composite recruit with elite speed even after adjusting for his size, Golden checks a lot of the boxes that are indicative of future NFL production -- especially once you adjust his 2024 for schedule strength.

The PFF grades and route grades are strong, and his early-declare status so young is the type of underlying data that has led to WR success in the NFL in the past.

For analysis purposes, I bucket "studs" as players with 90th-percentile production through four NFL seasons and "successes" as the WRs with 80th-percentile production. As a result, roughly 10% of prospects return stud starts with approximately 20% yielding successful starts.

My model features 29 four-star recruits (excluding five-star names) who declared early and were taken in the first two rounds of the draft. Of these names, the stud hit rate is 34.5% (+24.8% versus the full sample), and the success rate is 51.7% (+31.9% versus the full sample).

I like those odds.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.