It cannot be overstated just how ticked off Aaron Rodgers must feel, deep down, after watching the Green Bay Packers draft Matthew Golden in the first round.
The Texas wide receiver made history. It was the first time Green Bay had drafted a wide receiver in the first round in over two decades; something the Packers refused to do during Rodgers’ entire tenure with the team.
Draft experts have been giving out grades left and right, following the big weekend, and many of them have taken the low-hanging fruit.
Why not? It’s an easy one to pick. Rodgers never had the luxury of the Packers drafting a first-round wide receiver, and now, Jordan Love gets one.
Another draft expert rubs salt in the wounds of Aaron Rodgers
NFL Media’s draft expert, Chad Reuter, agrees with the national consensus as he gave the Packers a strong A-minus for their overall haul.
“Green Bay ended its 23-year streak of not drafting a receiver in Round 1 with Golden, whom the team surely hopes is the downfield playmaker Jordan Love needs,” he wrote.
The Golden selection seems to be exactly what this team needs, to be frank. Full disclosure: he’s exactly who Rodgers needed for quite some time, but there’s nothing that can be done about that, now.
With Christian Watson, the Packers thought they’d have that downfield threat. However, Watson’s inability to stay healthy now leaves the team without him until well into the regular season, most likely.
Reuter also noted the Savion Williams pick as well, so the fact the Packers drafted a pair of wide receivers high did not go unnoticed.
“Instead of adding a cornerback and edge rusher in Day 2, the Packers gambled on Belton’s size to overcome his lapses against speed and took advantage of versatile offensive weapon Savion Williams still being on the board,” he explained.
With Golden and Williams, the Packers simply reloaded. Now, their wide receiver room is as crowded as ever.
As we’ve already alluded to, Green Bay is going to have some decisions to make in the near future on a couple of wideouts in contract years. Both Watson and Romeo Doubs are entering a pivotal season, but will the latter make it to the regular season before being traded?
Golden’s arrival, specifically, allows the Packers to get creative in how they plan to fully assemble their room. Between he and Jayden Reed, the offense has plenty of speed and playmaking ability. Beyond those two, it’s going to require selective planning in order to fill out the rest of the depth chart.
