Getty Images

Brandon Lloyd may not be the only receiver from the Rams whom the Patriots are targeting in free agency.

Tom Curran of CSNNE.com explores the possibility that the Patriots could have an eye on Danny Amendola, a restricted free agent whom the Rams tendered at the second-round level.

If the Patriots are interested, they’d need to sign Amendola to an offer sheet and then, if the Rams chose not to match the offer, ship a second-round draft pick to St. Louis. That may seem like too steep a price for Amendola, who was lost for the season with a Week One elbow injury last year, but maybe it wouldn’t be: Although he didn’t get a lot of attention on a bad Rams team, Amendola was a solid possession receiver who caught 85 passes in 2010.

There are a lot of similarities between Amendola and Wes Welker, and the Patriots could see the 26-year-old Amendola as Welker’s heir apparent in their passing game. Signing Amendola could make the Patriots feel more comfortable about merely keeping Welker on his one-year franchise tender, rather than signing him to a more costly long-term contract.

A second-round pick is a high price to pay, but if Amendola could be anywhere near the receiver in the Patriots’ offense that Welker has been, it would be a great deal.