While the Washington Commanders have unveiled their strategy for the 2025 season to be a veteran-heavy one — which makes sense — there still needs to be some attention paid to the future.
The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner predicts the Commanders will add a player second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels can grow with and select Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden in the first round (No. 29 overall) of the 2025 NFL draft.
Golden might not only be a viable WR2 or WR3 option as a rookie alongside Deebo Samuel, he might also be the player who eventually succeeds NFL All-Pro Terry McLaurin as WR1 in a few years.
“Of all the draft-eligible offensive talent at Texas last season, Golden might’ve made the biggest leap,” Baumgardner wrote on April 7. “He displayed true difference-making speed and has an ability to win in any area of the field. He flashed WR1 ability, to go along with his 4.29 speed.”
One good comparison for Golden might be Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy, another former Texas star. Worthy was the No. 28 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft after he set the NFL scouting combine record with a 4.21 second 40 yard dash and was second on the Chiefs with 59 receptions for 638 yards and 9 total touchdowns as a rookie.
In the postseason, Worthy added 19 receptions for 287 yards and 3 touchdowns in 3 games, including 8 receptions for 157 yards and 2 touchdowns in a Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
If Golden does anything close to resembling those numbers, it would be a pronounced win for the Commanders.
Commanders Might Be Destined To Draft Golden
Golden played his first 2 seasons at Houston and had 1,425 all-purpose yards and 15 touchdowns in 2022 and 2023 while being named All-Big 12 in 2023.
Golden transferred to Texas for his final college season in 2024 and helped lead the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff semifinals with 1,272 all-purpose yards and 9 touchdowns in 16 games, including 58 receptions for 987 yards while also returning kickoffs.
In 3 college seasons, Golden scored 22 total touchdowns.
NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein compared Golden to New Orleans Saints wide receiver and 2022 first round pick (No. 11 overall) Chris Olave, who had back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2022 and 2023.
“(Golden) has the agility and body control to turn near-misses into highlight catches,” Zierlein wrote. “Focus drops still pepper his play, but he’s a willing participant in traffic and took command of contested catches with better physicality and catch strength in 2024. Golden’s starting-level traits and big leap forward as a go-to playmaker have him primed to become a productive catch-maker with the potential to develop into a WR1 in the future.”
Drafting Playmaker Late in First Round is Solid Investment
It might be a more pressing need to bring in a wide receiver like Golden right now than it appears on the surface.
The Commanders need to sign McLaurin to another contract extension before the 2025 season which could be a 3-year, $90 million deal. Offsetting that with Golden for at least 3 years at around $3 million per year on a rookie deal is a dream scenario for any money-savvy owner or general manager.
