With over an astounding 360 sets of brothers playing in the NFL when scouting a future draftee the term “football genes” and “family bloodlines” may be much more than a cliche.

Of the 360 plus sets of brothers over 260 of them have played simultaneously.

Brothers like Peyton and Eli Manning, Vernon and Vontae Davis, Ronde and Tiki Barber, Chris and Kyle Long, Jason and Devin McCourty, and Mike and Maurkice Pouncey only tickle the surface.

The Minnesota Vikings alone have two players who have brothers currently playing in the league in tackle Matt Kalil (Ryan Kalil, Carolina Panthers) and linebacker Eric Kendricks (Mychal Kendricks, Philadelphia Eagles).

It’s not just players either. Coaches with family ties throughout the league are becoming increasingly more common. While Buffalo Bills’ head coach Rex Ryan has recently employed his brother Rob to be his defensive coordinator it wasn't long ago brothers Jim and John Harbaugh faced off in the Super Bowl against one another.

However, as a player is there any type of distinguished advantage of having a family member play before you? When I caught up with Oakland Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr the answer was an obvious one.

“We don’t even have enough time to talk about everything, but one thing he's taught me is i'm going to be praised and i'm going to be criticized, ignore both, because neither matter. Just continue to work hard, make sure everyone around you feels loved and be a good dude,” Carr said.

Of course Carr’s older brother David was the number one overall pick in the 2002 draft. While he never lived up to the high expectations it's clear watching his older brother go through the process was a key part in Derek’s preparation for what lied ahead.

Just attending the 2016 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama I found four more players who had or still currently have older brothers in the NFL.

Penn State defensive end Carl Nassib (Ryan Nassib, New York Giants quarterback), Notre Dame center Nick Martin (Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys offensive guard), Kansas State fullback Glenn Gronkowski (Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots tight end), and Stanford offensive tackle Kyle Murphy (Kevin Murphy, former Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle).

Each player praised the mentoring and tutelage from their older siblings while acknowledging the inside perspective on things like the Senior Bowl, draft process, and NFL nuances was a huge asset.

“Yeah we talk a lot, when I have questions he's always there for me, he doesn't give me too much advice to have me think about unnecessary things, but he just tells me focus on the important things, and just focus on getting better,” Nassib said.

Meanwhile, Martin knew the week would be filled with pressure situations but had the benefit of being reassured the main focus was still all about playing the game of football.

“He warned me it was going to be hectic and it was but, his main thing was when it comes down to it you just gotta strap up and go play,” Martin said.

While encouraging words are welcomed with open arms Murphy received much more than just a motivational speech.

“I’d give him my film account password he would watch my film and give me some pointers and see the notes he saw, and get another set of eyes that maybe my coaches didn't have time to see or couldn't pay individual attention to me, so that helped me a lot, that really helped my improvement throughout the year,” said Murphy.

Whether it's having an extra pair of eyes breakdown your film or just hearing some words of wisdom, having an older brother in the league that has gone through the system has only helped these players development and confidence.

“Whenever you have friends or family that's been through the process it definitely helps to get the ins and outs of the NFL, he definitely exposed me to it more than I would have on my own” Murphy added.

Even Gronkowski who admitted he didn’t receive much specifics on how the process would go or what things in which to prepare for stated he was still far better off having his older brothers around.

“Nothing specific really they pretty much left me on my own, but obviously I got to watch them growing up doing all that stuff so I definitely learned a lot.. what they did, how they worked and how to be successful, and i'm a little bit more confident because of that which obviously makes a difference”

While watching a pop warner sibling rivalry carry itself from the college ranks to the pros is entertaining to say the least, it's no wonder why the league has been flooded with more and more NFL family bloodlines.

Peyton and Eli’s father Archie was a pro-bowl quarterback who played for 13 years. Meanwhile, families like the Matthews spans over three generations with several players like Clay Matthews Sr and Bruce Matthews having played, while current stars like Clay Matthews III and Jake Matthews continue to carry the torch.

Having a grandpa, dad, or brother play in the NFL doesn’t automatically translate into surefire success. However, it’s clear being able to watch and dissect a family member go through the process of a football career certainly has it’s advantages and is a clear indicator as to why there are so many players with bloodlines playing in the league today.

Giving the term “brotherly love” a whole new meaning.