Pacman-less Titans take no risks on character

Then they drafted him.

A team that will play the 2007 season without cornerback Adam ?Pacman? Jones because of his off-field conduct took no risks in its first draft since NFL commissioner Roger Goodell warned franchises they could be punished too for the players they select.

The Titans must wait and see if top pick Michael Griffin, a safety from Texas, or sixth-round pick Ryan Smith of Florida will fill the void left by Jones? suspension. But they feel very confident none of their 10 draftees will be creating the public relations nightmare of their 2005 top draft pick.

Coach Jeff Fisher said character always has been an issue for the Titans but conceded there was more of an emphasis this year.

?This is a very, very solid group. No holes,? Fisher said. ?We don?t anticipate any surprises. These guys are going to come in, be good citizens, good teammates and be very productive for us.?

Griffin couldn?t be more different from Jones. His parents are retired military who even commuted to San Antonio once to keep their children in school in Austin, Texas. He raises pit bulls ? for show, not for fighting.

Henry, who caught attention by tying Adrian Peterson with a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, has a father who works as a corrections officer and a mother who teaches mentally disabled students.

Receiver Paul Williams of Fresno State, a third-round pick, lost both parents and an older brother who died 19 months after being paralyzed making a tackle in a college game in 2000.

A couple draft picks struggled with their grades early.

Defensive tackle Antonio Johnson failed ninth grade, which kept him from playing as a senior. So he graduated early with his GED, went to junior college and earned his way into Mississippi State. Defensive end Jacob Ford started at Memphis, then went the juco route to Central Arkansas.

Fisher said they know that Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom is a disciplinarian, and Johnson, who fell to the fifth round, agreed.

?I never had any character issues, so you don?t have to worry about me not following directions,? Johnson said of being coached by Croom.

Ford, who ran a 4.68 40 at the combine, said he was immature and didn?t go to class at Memphis.

?It cost me football, so I learned from that and got a second chance and made the most of it,? Ford said.

The Titans came into the draft with big holes on offense and defense but concluded with no splashy trades despite talking with San Diego about LaDanian Tomlinson?s backup, Michael Turner, or Detroit about receiver Mike Williams.

In the end, both teams wanted too much, and the Titans wound up using six of their 10 picks on offense. Fisher said they filled most, but not all, of their needs.

They used three on receivers Paul Williams (third round), 5-10 Chris Davis of Florida State (fourth-round) and 6-3 Joel Filani of Texas Tech (sixth round) to help replace Drew Bennett and Bobby Wade.

They also added depth in the secondary by grabbing cornerback Ryan Scott of Florida, who led the Southeastern Conference with eight interceptions but dropped to the sixth round because of his size at 5-10.

Titans general manager Mike Reinfeldt summed up his first draft as solid.

?I don?t think there was a lot of razzle and dazzle to it. But at the same time, I think that?s what you want out of a draft. You want a solid draft. I think we were fortunate we had 10 picks. We have 10 players who can help our team,? he said.