The transition from college to the NFL is tough on multiple levels. Players have to move, learn a new and more complex system, adapt to life in the pros, get to know different people. So it’s important when you have at least one aspect of familiarity.

For Matthew Golden and Savion Williams, the two wide receivers drafted by the Green Bay Packers, both getting together on the same team was special. That might sound weird, since they have never played together, but their bond goes way back.

Williams had been at TCU since 2020. Two years in, Golden visited the same university, and Savion hosted him there. Three years later, they are finally United.

“I was originally committed to TCU before I committed to Houston, and he actually hosted me on my visit. So me and Savion go way back,” Golden said during the Packers rookie minicamp.

While Savion played all his five years of eligibility at TCU, the first-round pick had a different path. He spent two years at Houston, then transferred to Texas for his third and final college season.

“We talked every now and then,” Williams revealed about their relationship. “He texted me on draft night and, shoot, it’s cool to have somebody you know.”

On the field

The Packers preach versatility, and that’s something both can bring to the table. Golden can play in the slot or as a boundary receiver, while Williams aligned as a receiver, running back, and wildcat quarterback in college.

“He can play inside and out and that’s something I could do too,” Golden said about their partnership on the field. “So it’s going to be fun seeing what we do on offense.”

Even before the draft, Savion Williams said he wanted to be a Packer. In his mind, head coach Matt LaFleur has the offensive creativity to maximize him, and that will help Golden too.

“I was thinking about that when I got drafted. It’s going to work, I know it’s going to work,” Williams added. “Because the coach is going to use us in the right way.”

The fact that the Packers drafted a wide receiver in the first round for the first time since 2002 is widely known. But the investment at the position is truly unique for the franchise. It’s the first time ever the Packers have selected two wide receivers in the first three rounds of the same class—the most similar situation was in 2022, when Green Bay took Christian Watson early in the second and Romeo Doubs in the fourth round.

General manager Brian Gutekunst is showing a willingness to put talent around quarterback Jordan Love, and the long-time connection between Golden and Williams can make things click faster.