You’ll struggle to find a Green Bay Packers fan who didn’t love the Matthew Golden pick, but his jersey number? That continues to divide opinion.
There’s good and bad news. The good news is that we got a chance to see Golden in his full Packers uniform during the NFL Rookie Premiere, and it’s perfect. He attended alongside third-round pick Savion Williams. It’s still hard to believe the Packers finally drafted a wide receiver in the first round, but Golden is here, and he has star potential.
Another positive? Golden may finally end the Packers’ problems with dropped passes. The NFL posted a video of him acing the flag reaction test.
The bad news? Golden’s No. 22 jersey continues to raise questions.
“I tried. I really did,” writes Zach Kruse of Packers Wire. “But now seeing the full uniform…Matthew Golden looks like a CB wearing 22 and I strongly dislike it.”
It’s worth noting that Kruse’s comments were almost certainly tongue in cheek. Nobody should take a jersey number choice too seriously, but let’s be honest: he’s also telling no lies. Golden’s number screams cornerback or running back.
Here’s the first look at Golden in green and gold:
If you’re still unsure about Golden’s jersey number, let me win you over.
Why Packers fans should get on board with Matthew Golden’s No. 22 jersey
OK, there are several reasons to get on board. First, Golden is going to score a ton of touchdowns wearing this jersey, so we’ll get over it. And just imagine how much it will irritate other teams’ fans to watch a wide receiver wearing No. 22 destroying their cornerbacks.
On a more serious note, Golden’s explanation for his jersey number choice makes all the sense in the world.
“My grandma. Her favorite number was two, growing up, and she told me she wanted me to represent that number,” he said. “I knew the last receiver that was drafted (by the Packers in the first round) was 2002, so I felt like it kind of made sense to me.”
Again, nobody should ever get truly upset over a jersey number, especially when there’s a meaningful reason behind it.
The most important thing isn’t the number on the jersey, but how many touchdowns Golden catches while wearing it.
Come to think of it, 22 might just answer both questions.