Patriots Legend Jason McCourty Picked This Packers Receiver as His 2026 Breakout Star

Jason McCourty spent years covering some of the NFL’s best wide receivers as a cornerback. So when the former Patriots defensive back names a second-year pass catcher as his breakout pick for 2026, it’s worth listening.

McCourty didn’t hesitate. He went with Green Bay’s Matthew Golden, the Packers’ first-round pick from the 2025 draft who had a quiet rookie season but still carries the kind of athletic traits that make evaluators lean in.

The pick that got people talking

It happened on Peter Schrager’s show, The Schrager Hour. Schrager posted the exchange on X. McCourty and Schrager each picked a second-year NFC North wide receiver for a breakout 2026, and they weren’t the same guy. McCourty’s choice was Golden.

“I’m gonna go with Matthew Golden. I think you look at situations for him in Green Bay,” McCourty said. “I remember watching him come out, and I was like, damn, like this dude’s stop-start-speed, all of the attributes that you want in a wide receiver.”

Golden played at Texas before the Packers took him No. 23 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. His rookie numbers — 29 catches for 361 yards — don’t jump off the page. But the tape does. And for a Green Bay offense that has been searching for more explosion in the passing game, Golden’s movement skills could be the missing piece.

Why Golden fits in LaFleur’s system

Matt LaFleur’s scheme rewards receivers who can change direction without losing speed, separate on short routes, and threaten defenses at every level. That’s basically a description of the 6-foot, 195-pound Golden. He’s not a pure burner in the Tyreek Hill sense, but his ability to stop and restart in tight spaces gives Jordan Love a reliable target who can create after the catch.

The Packers didn’t draft Golden to be a possession guy long-term. They drafted him to be a weapon. And with a full offseason in the system, the leap from Year 1 to Year 2 often matters most for wide receivers.

McCourty isn’t the only one watching. Schrager’s own pick for the same breakout category wasn’t named on the clip, but the fact that two national analysts are zeroing in on a second-year Packer receiver says something about the buzz building around Golden.

For Green Bay, the stakes are clear: if Golden turns his rookie flashes into consistent production, the Packers’ passing attack gets a legitimate vertical threat who can take pressure off Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs. Golden’s 2026 outlook just got a little brighter, and McCourty’s endorsement might be the first of many.