Eagles director of scouting Brandon Hunt is scheduled to interview for the Patriots’ lead personnel position Wednesday, according to reports.

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Hunt is the first external candidate reported to have an interview with the team. The Patriots opened an official search for their new front-office leader this week, though there’s strong belief in league circles that current director of scouting Eliot Wolf will keep his role as de facto general manager. Wolf held roster control all offseason, when the Patriots spent $123 million guaranteed in free agency and used the third overall pick in the draft on Drake Maye.

Like Wolf, Hunt has spent most of his career in pro scouting. He arrived in Philadelphia in 2022, following a 12-year stint as the Steelers’ pro scouting director. Hunt started as a Pittsburgh intern in 2005 and accepted his first scouting job as a pro scout with the Texans in 2007.

During their search, the Patriots must comply with the Rooney Rule, which mandates they conduct at least two in-person interviews with external, minority and/or female candidates for the position, regardless of whether he or she earns the general manger title. The Patriots are not expected to use the GM title whenever they anoint a new personnel chief, having never used it under the Kraft family’s ownership.

The Patriots were in compliance with the Rooney Rule prior to the draft because, according to a league spokesperson, there wasn’t a singular person filling the primary personnel position, and because there were no changes to any other executives’ titles after Bill Belichick’s departure in January.

After Wolf, director of player personnel Matt Groh, director of pro scouting Steve Cargile, director of college scouting Camren Williams and executive vice president of football business Robyn Glaser all hold key roles in the organization, though Glaser is not involved in personnel. Senior personnel executives Patrick Stewart and Alonzo Highsmith are also front-office leaders in Foxboro.