The reaction by two NFL assistant coaches and one general manager to the news that three top NFL draft prospects admitted to using marijuana at some point was, at best, blasé.

"What you're looking for in this process is guys who have red flags, where they've tested positive a couple of times, they've gotten in trouble, they don't have control," one assistant coach said. "If we're talking about trying something, experimenting … if that was really a problem, there'd be a whole lot of people who couldn't play or coach or be some of those big-time executives."

According to a report by Pro Football Weekly, Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson, Louisville defensive tackle Amobi Okoye and Clemson defensive end Gaines Adams all admitted to having used marijuana at some point in time during interviews at the NFL scouting combine in February. All three are expected to be drafted somewhere within the top 10 selections. Johnson, who has measured as a high-character person in every other respect, could be the No. 1 overall pick.

A general manager said that, to his knowledge, none of the three had tested positive at any time for marijuana use. Players are tested at the combine and the NFL generally finds out through security checks if players fail tests while in college.

"What everybody is looking out for is you don't want the next Ricky Williams," said another NFL assistant. "That's all. If a kid just used pot once or twice, that's not a big deal."

Williams, who retired from the Miami Dolphins prior to the 2004 season reportedly in part because of a failed marijuana test, missed the '06 campaign after violating the league's substance-abuse policy. He filed paperwork earlier this month to be reinstated for the 2007 season.

As for the three prospects, the truth ultimately would have been revealed if they lied during the interviews, according to the general manager.

"If they have a problem, we're going to find out," he said. "If they have a problem and they lie about it, now we have two problems. You want to have players who are honest about what happens so you can help them. These guys were honest and they don't have a problem that we can see. Now we're going to punish them? That would be pretty stupid."

Related: 2007 draft