Philadelphia moved from No. 84 to No. 71 and selected Duce…
Philadelphia moved from No. 84 to No. 71 and selected Duce Staley, giving Arizona an additional sixth-round pick to make the jump. Staley became a long-time Eagles running back and finished his career with 5,785 rushing yards. Arizona selected Ty Howard at No. 84 and Tony McCombs at No. 188; neither approached Staley's impact. Philadelphia's targeted move up produced the decisive player in the deal.
Arizona Cardinals Received
- pick 1997 3rd round pick (84th overall, Ty Howard)
- pick 1997 6th round pick (188th overall, Tony McCombs)
Philadelphia Eagles Received
- pick 1997 3rd round pick (71st overall, Duce Staley)
Trade Analysis
Why Philadelphia Moved Up
The Eagles gave Arizona the 84th and 188th picks to climb 13 spots in the third round. They were targeting a running back who fit their offense, and the move delivered exactly that. Duce Staley developed into a core Philadelphia player rather than a short-term roster piece.
What Staley Became
Staley played 114 NFL games and rushed for 5,785 yards, with the bulk of his prime coming in Philadelphia. He became a versatile runner and receiver, gave the Eagles multiple productive seasons and later finished his career with Pittsburgh. For a third-round pick, that is a major success and the type of result that easily justifies spending an extra sixth-rounder to move up.
What Arizona Received
The Cardinals used No. 84 on Ty Howard and No. 188 on Tony McCombs. Howard played 37 career games with five starts and did not record an interception. McCombs did not develop into a comparable long-term contributor. Arizona's trade-down strategy created two chances, but neither player delivered enough to offset the star-level value Philadelphia found at No. 71.
Final Verdict
Philadelphia Eagles Win. Philadelphia earns an A for identifying Staley, paying a modest premium and receiving years of feature-back production. Arizona receives a D+ because the two-player return did not come close to matching the value of the selection it surrendered. The Eagles turned a small move up the board into one of the defining offensive players of their late-1990s and early-2000s teams. Staley's longevity and workload gave Philadelphia exactly the kind of multi-year payoff that makes an aggressive draft-day move worthwhile.