New York Giants received Brian Alford at No. 70; across two…
New York Giants received Brian Alford at No. 70; across two Giants seasons he appeared in only four games with no starts, catching two passes for 18 yards and one touchdown. The team earns a D+, compared with B- for Philadelphia Eagles, and the hindsight verdict is Philadelphia Eagles Win. That judgment reflects the concrete team-specific production, role and tenure created by the assets in this deal.
New York Giants Received
- pick 1998 3rd round pick (70th overall, Brian Alford )
Philadelphia Eagles Received
- pick 1998 3rd round pick (85th overall, Allen Rossum )
- pick 1998 4th round pick (116th overall, Clarence Love )
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
On draft day in 1998, the Giants sent picks Nos. 85 and 116 to Philadelphia for No. 70. New York selected wide receiver Brian Alford. Philadelphia selected defensive back/returner Allen Rossum at 85 and defensive back Clarence Love at 116. Because all three players reached the NFL, this trade can be graded from their actual team-specific careers rather than from the abstract value of moving 15 spots in the third round.
New York Giants Return
New York got almost no sustained production from Alford. He appeared in two games as a rookie in 1998, catching one pass for 11 yards, and two more in 1999, catching one pass for seven yards and a touchdown. His Giants career therefore ended at four games, zero starts, two receptions, 18 yards and one score. A third-round move-up that produced only four appearances and two catches is a D+ outcome even with the touchdown.
Philadelphia Eagles Return
Philadelphia found a much larger role for Rossum. He played 15 games with two starts in 1998 and all 16 games in 1999. More importantly, he was a high-volume returner: 44 kick returns for 1,080 yards in 1998 and 54 for 1,347 yards with a touchdown in 1999, plus 50 punt returns for 437 yards across the two seasons. Love's contribution was much smaller; he appeared in seven 1998 games and recorded six tackles before his Eagles tenure ended.
Value in Hindsight
The Eagles did not get Rossum's later Atlanta accomplishments from this trade and should not be credited for them. They did, however, get two full seasons of Philadelphia return production totaling 2,427 kickoff-return yards, 437 punt-return yards and a kickoff-return touchdown, plus limited rookie depth from Love. That is far more realized team value than Alford's four games and 18 receiving yards for New York. The gap is substantial even without borrowing Rossum's later career success.
Final Verdict
Philadelphia Eagles Win, B- to D+. Rossum's 31 Eagles games and heavy return workload are the decisive outcome, while Love added seven appearances. Alford's Giants career produced only four games, two catches and 18 yards. The grade gap reflects the substantially larger team-specific production Philadelphia received.