It's no secret that one of New England's most pressing needs is at wide receiver. Some mock drafts have the Patriots addressing the position at No. 4, while others have the Pats going instead with Abdul Carter at No. 4 or even trading down to nab a left tackle in addition to extra picks.
If they decide to go one of those routes, they may have struck gold with the declaration of Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden to enter this year's NFL Draft.
Texas lost its two most productive receivers, Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell, to the 2024 NFL Draft. Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond (also entering this year's Draft) was set to fill those shoes, but Golden was the receiver that emerged as Quinn Ewers' go-to target on the Longhorns' journey to the College Football Playoff Semifinals.
A transfer from the University of Houston, Golden had career highs across the board in receptions (58), yards (987), and touchdowns (nine) in his first and only season at Texas in 2024.
Patriots could get the wide receiver of their dreams beyond the first round with Matthew Golden
He shined the brightest on the biggest stages when the Longhorns needed him most, catching a season-high eight passes for a career-high 162 yards in an overtime loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship game.
Golden delivered his signature moment in Texas' double overtime CFP quarterfinal victory over Arizona State, catching seven passes for 149 yards and the touchdown on 4th and 13 that sent the game into the second overtime.
EWERS ➡️ GOLDEN 🎯#HookEm | #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/U7BL8Z5gzl
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) January 1, 2025
So, how does New England come into play?
The Patriots must hope his late push doesn't equate to a meteoric rise up the draft board. Unless, of course, they want to take him at 4. And Golden's declaration certainly caught the eyes of scouts on Tuesday.
Just finished studying Texas WR Matthew Golden. He could easily be the top WR in this draft class.
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) January 14, 2025
The best-case scenario for New England is to take care of the left tackle or edge situation with the No. 4 pick (or by trading down to acquire more picks) and then trade up from No. 38 to grab Golden later in the first round.
The Pats can always wait to see if he's available at 38, which would be the perfect scenario. But Golden just might be too good to risk losing. If you can address two positions of need in the first round, you make it happen.