The New England Patriots have filled a prominent vacancy in their front office. A.J. Highsmith, the son of current senior personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith, will take over as the team’s new director of pro scouting.

NFL insider Neil Stratton was first to report the move.

A quarterback and defensive back at the University of Miami, Highsmith made the move to the NFL in 2014 not as a player but as an assistant in the San Francisco 49ers’ scouting department. After two seasons, he was promoted to pro personnel scout; his responsibilities included working in pro scouting and roster evaluation as well as coordinating player tryouts and visits.

In 2019, Highsmith left San Francisco to join the Buffalo Bills as an area college scout. He spent four years in that capacity, moving up to national scout in 2023. One year later, he was hired by the Tennessee Titans to serve as their director of scouting.

Highsmith lasted only a single season in that role. Shortly after this year’s NFL Draft, he was let go by a Titans team that had hired Mike Borgonzi as new general manager in January; Borgonzi took over for the man who had originally brought Highsmith to Tennessee, Ran Carthon.

Reuniting with his father in New England now, Highsmith will fill a role that was previously held by Patrick Stewart.

Stewart had left the team earlier in the offseason to become general manager at the University of Nebraska. His departure was reported just hours after Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf voiced criticism about how the team conducted its free agency research in 2024.

Highsmith is the second reported Patriots personnel move since last month’s draft. In addition to him filling the pro personnel director vacancy, area scout Josh Hinch will not be back with the club this coming season.