GREEN BAY – Rookie receiver Matthew Golden has made his share of plays early in Packers training camp, highlighted by a long TD catch from Jordan Love on Tuesday.
Cornerback Carrington Valentine has shown up plenty thus far, too, with a pair of interceptions to his credit.
So it was fitting during Tuesday's one-on-one period between pass catchers and pass defenders that Golden and Valentine lined up across from one another – not once, or twice, but three times.
All of the snaps were highly competitive, with the middle rep being the most eye-catching.
Running a sideline go, Golden got squeezed toward the boundary a bit by Valentine, not giving Love much space to fit the ball in, and Love didn't like the looks of it at first.
"When I let it go I thought, 'Oh man, I missed it. Too far inside,'" Love said. "On those balls, you want to give them a chance outside. But I didn't think there was a chance. I was like, 'Uh-oh, CV's going to pick this one.'"
Only Golden showed he's not a typical rookie, as the first-round pick adjusted with his feet, braced himself against Valentine, broke back to the inside, and not only prevented an interception but reached out to snag the pass for a big gain.
Whether or not his contact to Valentine's back would've drawn a flag would be up for debate – "That's just a contested catch. DBs get the jam, receivers get the push. It goes both ways," Golden said with a smile – but it was a whale of a play regardless.
"That's one of his specialties that I've seen so far, just the aggressiveness with his hands, and always going up there to high-point the ball," Love said. "He's got very strong hands and he's able to go up and compete for that ball. I think that's one of the things that's going to separate him."
Golden certainly gained separation on the long TD pass during 11-on-11, a double move that got him behind Nate Hobbs and Evan Williams in the secondary, with Love's throw on target.
A sign of how quickly he learns, Golden said he had that same route in a previous practice, but he didn't sell the underneath look well enough with his eyes before going deep.
This time he did, and voila.
"I did something different today that I didn't do (before), and I gave a little bit more to that route, and it led to a big play," he said. "For me, it's just about perfecting my craft each and every day, one day at a time, trying something different."
Golden added that he engages in conversation with the defensive backs after plays, looking for feedback on what they think he might've done better. Sometimes it's part of the smack talk right after a competitive rep, others it's later, off to the side.
Valentine was jawing with him a bit during the one-on-ones, but it was all within the spirit of the drill. The third-year corner said one piece of advice he's given the rookie is to focus on not letting the DBs get their hands on him, because once he's unimpeded, his speed is a challenge to handle.
"That's what one-on-ones are about," Valentine said of their intense battles. "It's a competitive environment. Iron sharpens iron."
As usual, Valentine has backed down from no one in camp. The seventh-round pick from 2023 overcame injuries to finish last season strong, and he's expected to play a significant role as one of this defense's top three corners, along with Keisean Nixon and Hobbs.
He feels he should've had his third interception of camp on Monday. On the second snap of QB Malik Willis' two-minute drill, Valentine jumped a sideline route by Malik Heath but only deflected the pass rather than snatch it.
It was another example, though, of how he's put himself in good position time and again, displaying a reliability that won't go unnoticed.
"For me, camp is about being consistent, keep stacking days and better myself," Valentine said. "I've got goals I want to reach, and it starts here in camp, molding it.
"I feel like every day I've taken a step forward. Every day."
So has Golden, and at a rapid clip. He's made numerous catches in 11-on-11, both in the middle of the field and along the sideline, including one the other day against Nixon's tight coverage where they both rolled to the ground and Golden came up with the ball.
His practices aren't perfect by any means, as Love noted all rookies run the wrong route here and there. On Monday, Golden also got re-routed by safety Zayne Anderson on a slant near the line and had a slightly high throw deflect off his outstretched hands and into Hobbs' for a pick.
But he came back Tuesday with his best practice to date, in what was arguably the team's most competitive workout thus far. Golden just stays focused on what's next.
"It's starting to slow down for me," he said. "It's starting to feel like I can go out there and just play and have fun, not have to think about what I need to do. It's just going out there getting open, knowing my assignment and alignment.
"I'm enjoying it, every part of the process, the ups and downs. Even when I don't have a great day, it's about how I'm going to get better the next day. That's what I'm leaning on."
