Patriots reportedly part ways with West Coast area scout Jonathan Howard

The New England Patriots’ pre-draft process will look quite a bit different next year. Not only will long-time research director Ernie Adams no longer be part of the operation, the team has also recently parted ways with its West Coast area scout.

According to a report by Neil Stratton, the Patriots and Jonathan Howard have mutually decided to move in different directions.

Howard is coming off his eighth season with the team, and his sixth as a member of the college scouting department. He originally joined the Patriots as a scouting assistant in 2013; two years later he was promoted to area scout first in Greater Boston and later on the West Coast.

Together with D.J. Debick, Tucker Ingraham, Taylor Redd and Camren Williams, Howard was one of five area scouts employed by the Patriots. Alex Brooks and Jordon Hein were also part of the group last year in their roles as scouting assistants.

Before joining the Patriots, Howard played safety and linebacker at Washington University in St. Louis and later earned his master’s degree in sport management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He also worked as a volunteer football recruiting assistant at UMass.

“In five to ten years, my goal is to still be evaluating guys and influencing the organization in a positive way. This place is a pretty nice place to be, so I’m thankful for the opportunity here. I’d love to be here forever if I can,” Howard told his college newspaper, the Student Life at WashU, after first arriving in New England in eight years ago.