The NFL is a copycat league with executives, coaches and scouts prone to stealing the best ideas and team-building concepts. With the playoffs reaching the championship round, those in the football community are already studying how the four teams remaining in the tournament were constructed to see if they can borrow a blueprint to help their respective teams reach this point in the near future.After taking some time to review the rosters of the , , and , here are a few le sons for team builders:Philadelphia Eagles: Invest in "Trench Warriors"The Eagles' rise to prominence has been fueled by their dominance at the line of scrimmage on each side of the ball. General manager Howie Roseman has a sembled a group of offensive and defensive linemen who can take over the game individually or collectively at the point of attack. Moreover, he has been willing to utilize top resources via the draft and free agency to dot the roster with several five-star players in the trenches.The defensive line has played up to its disruptive potential by accounting for 60 of the team's 68 sacks. The Eagles are the first team in NFL history with four players with 10 or more sacks: (16), (11), (11) Darcy Kuemper Kids Jersey and (11). Considering the list does not include (7), (4) or (1), the Eagles are wearing opponents out with a deep and talented rotation that overwhelms quarterbacks.Offensively, the Eagles' succe s as a ground-and-pound attack with aerial circus potential is keyed by their dominance at the line of scrimmage. The frontline features a rare collection of athletic blockers with enough strength, power and nastine s to whip defenders. As the Eagles tap into ' electric skills as a dual-threat playmaker, the versatility and adaptability of their frontline have helped the offense evolve into a juggernaut under his direction.Given the Eagles' succe s overpowering opponents behind the play of their offensive and Butch Goring Jersey defensive lines, executives would be wise to throw more draft picks and cash at a collection of "trench warriors" with dominant skills.San Francisco 49ers: Commit to positionle s playersThe 49ers have stolen a page from their basketball brethren, the , by utilizing an offensive style that features a collection of versatile players in interchangeable positions. The four-time NBA champs' succe s with the approach fostered the "positionle s" basketball trend that has taken over the game. And the 49ers' succe s with an offensive lineup featuring a group of "hybrids" on the perimeter could spark a similar trend in the NFL.With (RB/WR), (WR/RB), (FB/TE) and (TE/WR/OT) po se sing the versatility and flexibility to function as chameleons in a base package, the league is paying close attention to how Kyle Shanahan deploys his top playmakers to befuddle opponents around the league. Moreover, they are intently studying how the versatility of each player expands the playbook for a creative offensive coordinator hoping to produce more explosive plays on the perimeter.As teams incorporate more collegiate- Arthur Kaliyev Men Jersey like concepts like jet sweeps, "Wildcat" plays and option to ses, the acquisition of dynamic athletes with unique skills should become a top priority for teams attempting to copy the 49ers' offensive blueprint.Cincinnati Bengals: Stack the roster with blue-chip playersMaybe Bengals owner Mike Brown subscribes to Warren Buffett's investment advice that encourages investors to stockpile their portfolios with index funds featuring brand name companies to build an empire. The Bengals have a sembled a championship-caliber roster with former college stars from Power 5 and Group of 5 schools.While some scouts tend to look for hidden gems at smaller schools hoping to strike it big on a developmental prospect, the Bengals have populated their depth charts with a collection of players from winning programs at the top levels of collegiate football. From and shining at to and flourishing at to , and thriving at , it is not a coincidence that the Bengals' top players were big-school standouts for championship-caliber programs.Considering the Bengals' 53-man roster features only two players from smaller schools ( , Humboldt State, and , ), it is apparent that the Bengals have prioritized acquiring players from top programs.During my time as a player with the , Hall of Fame executive Ron Wolf told me that it is easier to project players who played at top schools due to their Andy Andreoff Women Jersey experience playing in big games against the best competition. He told me that the NFL is supposed to feature the "best of the best" and those players likely come from the best college programs.Although you might find a "diamond in the rough" on occasion at a lower-level program, the odds suggest that teams are better off focusing on mining big schools for top talent. Given the Bengals' succe s with an almost exclusive "big-school"roster, more teams should consider taking a similar approach to building their teams.Kansas City Chiefs: Unearth the perfect QB and build around him might go down as the greatest quarterback in NFL history, but the former Super Bowl and NFL MVP was not considered a sure thing in the 2017 draft. The product was a prolific sandlot player, but few gunslingers have evolved into winning quarterbacks.Andy Reid spotted something in Mahomes that reminded him of his former pupil, Brett Favre, who became a Super Bowl winner and Hall of Fame inductee while toeing the line as a gunslinger and game manager. With that image in mind, Reid traded two first-round picks and a third-rounder to move into the top 10 to select Mahomes despite already having a Pro Bowl QB (Alex Smith) in place.The move has certainly paid off for the Chiefs, with the team reaching five straight AFC Championship Games (four with Mahomes as the starter) and a pair of Super Bowl appearances with one ring on the mantle.While the succe s was initially driven by Mahomes throwing the ball to a pair of elite pa s-catchers ( and ), the team has been able to transition to a quarterback-driven squad with le ser talents on the perimeter. This season, for example, the Tyler Toffoli Jersey Chiefs have allocated resources to the offensive line ( , , and ) instead of the pa s-catchers, yet they still have an explosive offense.With the Chiefs also paying their QB1 big bucks on a second contract, the team has provided the league with an excellent example of how to identify, develop and build a championship team around a franchise quarterback.Bucky Brooks is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. He regularly appears on "Speak For Yourself" and also breaks down the game for NFL Network and as a cohost of the "Moving the Sticks" podcast. Follow him on Twitter Top stories from FOX Sports: NFL trending in this topic
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