GREEN BAY, Wis. -- It's not like coach Matt LaFleur grabbed the nearest piece of scrap paper and started scribbling out new plays as soon as the Green Bay Packers drafted receivers Matthew Golden and Savion Williams. And even after getting his eyes on his newest pass catchers during last weekend's rookie minicamp, LaFleur didn't plan to go to his iPad and add to his library.
"Probably not right now," LaFleur said during the two-day minicamp.
That doesn't mean the Packers coach and his staff haven't kicked around ideas about what a receiver like Golden (the first-rounder with 4.29 speed) or Williams (the 6-foot-4 third-rounder who made plays in college from every conceivable position on offense) can add to LaFleur's bank of creativity.
"You always have an idea," LaFleur said. "I think an important part of it as you're going through the draft process is you want to have a vision for how you would potentially use somebody.
"That's what you're trying to communicate to our scouting department is: 'Hey, here's how we would envision using this guy.'"
Clearly, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst subscribed to LaFleur's vision.
"But ultimately, I think more of that's determined after the fact," LaFleur said. "When you get them in the building, you get to work with them on a daily basis, you see how fast they pick things up. Inevitably, there's going to be something that's going to surprise you in a positive light, that they do really well, that you're like, 'Oh shoot, maybe I didn't recognize that, just off the tape.' So I think it's all about just that process of working together and kind of growing together."
Golden and Williams have history together, too. While they were never teammates before they arrived in Green Bay, their relationship predates their college days. Before Golden committed to Houston, where he would play for two years and then finish at Texas, he visited TCU, where Williams served as his host.
"Me and Savion go way back," Golden said.
It gave them both an instant comfort level.
"Trying to get the offense down together and just going through walkthroughs and stuff like that, it just feels like a full circle," Golden added. "And to have somebody that I know, we gonna push each other each and every day. So, holding him accountable, he holding me accountable."
Despite their familiarity with each other, neither is quite sure what their roles will look like. But they know there is room for both of them on the field.
"I was thinking about that when I got drafted; it's something that's going to work," Williams said. "I know it's going to work, because I know the coach, he's going to use us in the right way. So I know it's going to work in the right way."
Check out some of the top highlights from TCU's Savion Williams.
They joined a wide receiver room that already included Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton, Malik Heath and free agent pickup Mecole Hardman, among others.
Watson won't be ready for the start of the season because of the torn right ACL he sustained in the regular-season finale, but Golden can replicate the speed Watson brought to the offense.
Golden, however, isn't just a plug-and-play replacement for Watson. Golden, at 5-11 and 191 pounds, has a much different body type than the 6-4, 208-pound Watson. If Watson's best trait has been going deep, Golden's speed could show up in more of the catch-and-run game, should LaFleur scheme to get him the ball in space.
"You want to make sure that you're giving Matt the flexibility to attack all different levels of the field, and I think a guy like Golden does that," Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan said. "He's [got] speed, he can get vertical, he can beat you underneath, and he's got tremendous ball skills and hands. So it's just another weapon, and I think he fits really nice in the room with guys that we already have."
Then there's Williams, who has drawn comparisons to the likes of Deebo Samuel and Cordarrelle Patterson because of his ability as both a receiver and a rusher.
Williams had as many rushing touchdowns (six) as he did touchdown catches last season, making him one of only two FBS players (and the only receiver) with at least six rushing and receiving touchdowns in the 2024 season. He averaged 6.3 yards on 51 rushing attempts as a senior and got snaps and handoffs in the backfield as both a traditional running back and as a wildcat quarterback.
When asked how he can make the quickest impact, Williams said: "Just getting the ball in my hand quick. That's probably it."
The receivers didn't actually catch any passes but here's a look at Matthew Golden and Savion Williams running routes. pic.twitter.com/bm4abYHjNU
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) May 3, 2025
It's unlikely anything LaFleur and his staff saw during rookie minicamp will spark new ideas. The one practice was a lesson in simply how to practice. None of the receivers even caught passes; they ran routes at quarter speed and were never thrown the ball.
Perhaps when the rookies return next week to join the veterans for voluntary offseason team activity practices, LaFleur & Co. will begin to explore ways to mesh Golden and Williams with the rest of the group,
"I think in terms of where that goes," LaFleur said. "It's going to happen organically over time."