The Patriots’ young talent extends beyond the gridiron

While Bill Belichick, who turned 70 earlier this offseason, is still pulling the strings, the New England Patriots as a whole are in the middle of a youth movement. That much is obvious on the field, with 23-year-old quarterback Mac Jones leading the team into his second season.

However, the Patriots’ young talent extends beyond the gridiron. So, in honor of inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo recently being listed on The Athletic’s 40 under 40, let’s take a look at the club’s next generation of coaches, scouts and executives.

Obviously, though, the following is by no means a complete list of under-40 employees within the Patriots organization. Instead, it is one reflective of recent developments such as promotions or role.

Coaching staff

Cameron Achord, Special teams coordinator: Even though New England’s special teams unit struggled in 2021, Achord will be back as its coach for a third year. The 35-year-old originally joined the Patriots in 2018 after wearing several hats at Southwest Mississippi Community College.

Brian Belichick, Safeties coach: The youngest son of head coach Bill Belichick, Brian is entering his third season coaching the Patriots’ safeties. He has been with the team in various roles since 2016.

Steve Belichick, Outside linebackers coach: Brian’s older brother got his start in New England as a defensive assistant in 2012. Since then, he climbed up the ladder and together with Jerod Mayo served as de facto defensive coordinator in 2021. While his title for the 2022 season is TBD, he will play a prominent role as one of the leading voices on defense.

Nick Caley, Tight ends coach: With long-time offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels having left the team earlier this offseason, there was some hype that Caley might be taking over at one point. That is still possible, even if such a move does not happen this year. The 39-year-old has been with the Patriots since 2015, and has coached tight ends for the last five years.

DeMarcus Covington, Defensive line coach: Despite being just 33, Covington is already entering the 11th year of his coaching career and his sixth as a Patriots assistant. He is responsible for the club’s defensive line since 2020.

Ross Douglas, Assistant wide receivers coach: Douglas turned to coaching shortly after going undrafted in 2018. He joined the Patriots on a coaching fellowship last year, and despite his defensive background has been moved to the offensive side of the ball this offseason.

Jerod Mayo, Inside linebackers coach: There is little doubt that Mayo will one day be a head coach in the NFL, but for now the former linebacker remains with the Patriots — the team that originally drafted him in 2008. Mayo, who is officially listed as inside linebackers coach, will join Steve Belichick as the leading assistants on the defensive side of the ball.

Mike Pellegrino, Cornerbacks coach: Pellegrino is only 28, but he is already entering his eighth season in New England. A former lacrosse star at Johns Hopkins, he worked his way up from coaching assistant and has worked with the cornerback group since 2019.

Vinnie Sunseri, Running backs coach: Sunseri spent his entire college and NFL career on defense, but in 2021 was moved to the offensive side of the ball: he coached running backs as Ivan Fears’ assistant. With Fears now retired, the 28-year-old took over the position group.

Personnel department

Alex Brooks, Southwest area scout: Brooks is entering his fifth season in New England, and second as an area scout. Prior to joining the team as a scouting assistant in 2018, he had a brief stint as an assistant coach at John Carroll and also played at West Virginia from 2013-16.

Matt Evans, National scout: A star linebacker at New Hampshire, Evans arrived in New England in 2021 as southeast area scout. He was promoted to national scout earlier this offseason — a reflection of the promise the team sees in him.

Josh Hinch, Pro scout: Hinch joined the Patriots as a pro scout last year, but his résumé is extensive. He worked as a scouting assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2015-18) and was a director of player personnel both in the short-lived AAF (Orlando) and the XFL (Tampa Bay).

Tucker Ingraham, National scout: Ingraham started his career in New England as a football operations intern but took over a full-time role as a scouting assistant after his graduation from Wesleyan in 2017. He was promoted to area scout in 2019, and to national scout last year.

Camren Williams, Director of college scouting: The son of former Patriots defender Brent Williams, Camren was promoted to college scouting director earlier this year. Before taking over that position, he worked as a scouting assistant (2016-17), area scout (2018-20) and national scout (2021).

As can be seen, New England has several contributors on both its coaching staff and its personnel department under the age of 40. And that group does not even include those who just recently turned 40: director of player personnel Matt Groh, pro scouting director Steve Cargile, director of scouting Eliot Wolf, and offensive assistant Joe Judge.

While the Patriots’ universe obviously centers around Belichick, the team does have plenty of young talent waiting in the wings at crucial positions.