Three things to know about new Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola, with an emphasis on how he compares to now ex-Patriot Wes Welker.
Similar upon arrival
Amendola definitely has big shoes to fill, but as he arrives in New England he actually is coming off a very similar season production-wise to what Welker put up with the Dolphins in the season before the Patriots acquired him.
Welker had 67 receptions and averaged 10.3 yards per catch for the 2006 Dolphins. Amendola had 63 catches and averaged 10.6 yards for the 2012 Rams.
That goes with their more obvious common bond of each being from Texas Tech and each having gone undrafted.
Lacking durability
Since entering the NFL in 2009, Amendola has never played more than 677 snaps in a season and has averaged 423 per season.
Welker has averaged 883 offensive snaps since the start of 2008 and played the third-most snaps among wide receivers last season (1,089).
More sure-handed
Over the last three seasons, Welker’s reputation for being super-surehanded took a bit of a hit.
Lining up in the Slot Last Season (2012 including playoffs)
In that same stretch, Amendola has been what Welker used to be in terms of surehandedness.
Since 2010, Welker has caught passes at a rate of 12.5 receptions for every drop (326 catches, 26 drops).
Amendola’s success rate is considerably higher at 21.9 receptions per drop.
Welker’s 11 drops last season were second-most in the NFL. Amendola’s drop rate (2.1 percent of targets dropped) rated second-lowest in the NFL.