Ever since the New England Patriots were stripped of their first-round pick in round one of the 2008 draft (they kept the one they picked up in trade from the 49ers last April), we’ve received e-mails from readers asking whether the team that picks first in round two will have a hard time signing the player.

The reason?  The first player picked in round two will be, in essence, the last player picked in round one.  And the player’s agent could drive a hard bargain, hoping to get his client paid like the 32nd name off the board, not the 33rd.

But with the Dolphins “earning” the top pick in each round and the Dolphins thereafter hiring a V.P. of football operations (Bill Parcells) and a head coach (Tony Sparano) who are represented by agent Jimmy Sexton, the possibility of a holdout or other trouble dropped significantly when the Dolphins selected (you guessed it) a Sexton client at the top of round two.

Specifically, the Fins took Clemson defensive end Phillip Merling, who dropped out of round one due to recent hernia surgery and (as mentioned during the televised draft coverage) a recent workout that was less-than-stellar.

The dynamic illustrates a problem that the NFL and the NFL Players Association have ignored for years.  When agents represent players and coaches and front-office people, a conflict of interest is inevitable when the agent represents a player who is negotiating with a team where the agent represents one or more of the key personnel.

That said, neither Sexton nor any other agent is doing anything wrong by representing people on both sides of the labor-management divide – if, of course, the agents who find themselves in these awkward situations find a way to ensure that they are advancing the best interests of both clients (or, in this case, all three of them) in conjunction with the negotiations.

Good luck with that.

The reality is that it likely can’t happen.  The agent for the player needs to drive the hardest bargain for the player.  If the agent fears that trying to drive too hard of a bargain could create hard feeling with his client with whom the bargain is being driven, that inkling of hesitation is enough reason for the agent not to be representing one of the parties, or the other.