GREEN BAY — The late, great Ted Thompson used to deliver his near-annual pearl of wisdom after just about every NFL Draft. 

Inevitably, once the final pick was in, the Green Bay Packers longtime general manager would be asked whether the members of his latest draft class would be able to contribute right away.

And Thompson, in that ol’ Texas drawl of his, would remind the room that while he wanted all the guys he’d drafted to have an impact, the success of that year’s team would largely depend on what the veteran players already on the roster would do that year.

Which is why, despite the hullabaloo created by the Packers’ first-round selection of Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden — a move that ended a 22-draft streak of the Packers not choosing a wideout in the first round — Thompson’s words still echo all these years later.

Even if — as Thompson’s successor, eighth-year GM Brian Gutekunst, made sure to point out — the game has changed a bit in that regard.

Asked in the immediate aftermath of the Golden pick — which was punctuated by Golden’s in-person onstage celebration outside of Lambeau Field after retiring team president Mark Murphy to the fevered home crowd — if Golden could contribute a lot this season, Gutekunst’s initial two-word reply was, “I do.”

“I think the world’s changed a little bit,” Gutekunst then expounded. “It always takes receivers a little bit of time to get going. It used to be kind of that end of Year 2, middle of Year 3 when things slowed down for them and they could really produce. We’ve had a lot of history where that happened.

“(But) I think because of the way they throw it around in high-school football [and] just how some of the things have changed on the lower levels, guys are coming in and making an impact quicker. And I certainly think Matthew has the opportunity to do that.

“Now, we’ve got some good players in that room, so he’s not going to have to carry the load that way. But I think he has a chance to contribute, and not only as a receiver.”

Just what Golden’s 2025 contributions will look like hinges on a myriad of factors, including whether Christian Watson’s ahead-of-schedule ACL recovery gets him back on the field far sooner than anticipated; if Romeo Doubs rebounds from a tumultuous 2024 with a banner season in a contract year; and if Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks make much bigger advancements in Year 3 than they did in Year 2 after promising rookie showings in 2023.

For his part, Golden was well-versed in the Packers’ history for eschewing wide receivers in the first round, knowing that the last time they’d picked one so high — Florida State’s Javon Walker in 2002 — had happened before he was born.

But Golden also leaned into that narrative from the jump instead of shying away from it.

“It’s definitely unique. I feel like that’s what made that pick even more important to me, just understanding the history behind it,” Golden explained. “[I’m] definitely thankful to be in this position. I’m looking forward to what’s in front of me.”

Just what that’ll look like remains to be seen, but to Gutekunst’s point, Golden and third-round pick Savion Williams became the 12th and 13th wide receivers the Packers have taken in the first three rounds of the draft, beginning with the Walker selection in 2002.

It’s worth noting that of the previous 11, Reed put up the biggest numbers by far during his rookie season, although that was at least partially fueled by the Packers’ lack of a preexisting, clear-cut No. 1 receiver — something previously teams always had at the time of the other receivers’ selections.

Here is what each of those 11 wideouts did as rookies, in order of most catches to fewest:

• Jayden Reed (second round, 2023): 64 receptions, 793 yards, eight TDs.

• James Jones (third round, 2007): 47 receptions, 676 yards, two TDs.

• Greg Jennings (second round, 2006): 45 receptions, 632 yards, three TDs.

• Christian Watson (second round, 2022): 41 receptions, 611 yards, seven TDs.

• Davante Adams (second round, 2014): 38 receptions, 446 yards, three TDs.

• Jordy Nelson (second round, 2008): 33 receptions, 366 yards, two TDs.

• Randall Cobb (second round, 2011): 25 receptions, 375 yards, one TD.

• Javon Walker (first round, 2002): 23 receptions, 319 yards, one TD.

• Ty Montgomery (third round, 2015): 15 receptions, 136 yards, two TDs.

• Terrence Murphy (second round, 2005): Five receptions, 36 yards, no TDs.

• Amari Rodgers (third round, 2021): Four receptions, 45 yards, no TDs.

Now, it’s Golden’s time, and while the guess here is that his numbers will fall somewhere between Reed’s output in 2023 and Jones’ production in 2007, it’s really anyone’s guess.

Even Golden’s.

“I’m ready. I’m ready. I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life,” he said. “And to be here, I’m going to be present, I’m going to let my presence be known, and I’m going to come in here and compete.”

About our “Most Important Packers of 2025” Series: When the Packers kick off their seventh training camp under head coach Matt LaFleur on July 23, they’ll do so with a host of players facing pivotal seasons, LaFleur clearly believes he has ample talent to be a Super Bowl contender — even if he didn’t want to say so as the offseason program came to a close — but turning that belief into reality will require many of those players to produce at higher levels than they have in the past. This series, which began in 2010 on ESPNWisconsin.com, examines each of those players and how the team’s success hinges on their contributions.

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