Caserio

With Scott Pioli leaving the Patriots for Kansas City, a leading candidate to replace him would appear to be Nick Caserio, the Pats’ director of player personnel and a teammate of new Denver Broncos head coach and former Patriots’ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels at John Carroll University, a small, Catholic school in University Heights, Ohio, just outside Cleveland.

The Patriots like to promote from within and, certainly, Caserio has built up an impressive and diverse résumé since coming to the organization in 2001.

A four-year starter at quarterback for John Carroll, Caserio was a three-time, all-conference selection and was captain of the team for two seasons. In 1997, he led the Blue Streaks to a 10-2 record and the school’s second appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament, advancing to the quarterfinals.

He started out in New England as a personnel assistant in the scouting department. He assisted the coaching staff in 2002 before returning to personnel work in 2003. He was named director of pro personnel in 2004 and spent three years in that job before returning to the sidelines as receivers coach in 2007, when Randy Moss and Wes Welker joined the Patriots.

In 2008, Caserio moved back into the front office, as director of player personnel.

Obviously, he knows how both coach Bill Belichick and Pioli operate.

Thomas Dimitroff, who left his job as Patriots’ director of college scouting a year ago to become general manager of the Atlanta Falcons, credited Pioli with teaching him the intricacies — and value — of “system specific scouting.”

As described in Dimitroff’s bio in the Falcons’ media guide, system specific scouting places importance on “knowing the proper needs of your team and scouting players to fit the coach’s system.”

Dimitroff also credited Belichick for being instrumental in preparing him to become a GM. The Falcons’ guide notes that: “Belichick preached the concepts of team to a whole new level and indisputable role understanding, where everyone in an organization plays to their strengths and concentrates on doing their jobs to the best of their abilities. Belichick’s intelligence and forward thinking, coupled with organizational creativity, left its mark on Dimitroff.”

Caserio now has played a variety of roles in Belichick’s organization and may be ready to step in and fill the all-important one Pioli has played over the last nine years in the Patriots’ success.

jdonalds@projo.com