GREEN BAY \u2014 Matthew Golden may have only caught one pass in last Saturday night\u2019s preseason opener, but the Green Bay Packers rookie wide receiver might have gained two fans in the process: New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson.<\/p>\n
Golden said he had never met either player before bumping into them in the aftermath of the Jets\u2019 30-10 victory over the Packers at Lambeau Field.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just crossed paths. [I] went and dapped them up and I guess they recognized me,\u201d Golden recounted after practice Monday. \u201cJust told me what they had to say, and we just went on from there.\u201d<\/p>\n
And what did Wilson and Gardner tell him?<\/p>\n
\u201cThey gave me some feedback,\u201d Golden said. \u201cJust told me to keep going, rookie year, just stay confident, keep playing hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a first-round draft pick looking to make an immediate impact, there aren\u2019t many better supporters than the Jets\u2019 duo, since both of them know exactly what it takes to play at an elite level right away.<\/p>\n
In 2022, Gardner won the NFL defensive rookie of the year award after being the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, and Wilson won the NFL offensive rookie of the year award as the No. 10 overall pick.<\/p>\n
Heading into their fourth seasons, Wilson has eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in each of his first three years in the league, while Gardner is a two-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t get a lot of action,\u201d Golden said. \u201cBut the action that I did get definitely helped me realize a lot of different stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Golden only played 12 snaps against the Jets and was targeted twice, catching a slant on third-and-7 against Jets cornerback Brandon Stevens to pick up a first down, and drawing a 6-yard pass interference penalty on Gardner on a third-and-6 pass from quarterback Jordan Love for another first down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen a lot of great things from him in practice, and to go out there and execute a slant route like that and then obviously draw the P.I., that\u2019s two good reps for him right there,\u201d Love said. \u201cBut there\u2019s going to be so much more that we\u2019re going to have to build on to keep building this thing, keep figuring each other out and understanding timing and different things like that.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you always want to be able to see the practice, things like that translate to the game. So I\u2019ve got a lot of confidence in \u2018MG\u2019 right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Added head coach Matt LaFleur: \u201cThere\u2019s a lot that he needs to learn in terms of the detail of being able to execute each route versus every look that could be presented against him, but we feel pretty good about where he\u2019s at. I think he\u2019s only going to get better and better and better.\u201d<\/p>\n
For his part, Golden admitted that while he played in plenty of big games in college \u2014 including the SEC championship game and two college football playoff games during his only season at the University of Texas last year \u2014 there was something special about his first NFL game, even if it was only preseason.<\/p>\n
Given the Packers\u2019 injuries at receiver, Golden figures to get more work this Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt felt good just being able to get out there, play against a different opponent, just get some action,\u201d Golden said. \u201cFor me, it was just trying to get my feet wet, first NFL game. The first catch, it felt good. First catch of my career. But I\u2019ve still got a lot of work to do and I\u2019m ready for what\u2019s in front of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
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