PITTSBURGH - Maybe their hearts tell them it should be a downfield receiving threat to replace Plaxico Burress, a pass rusher to complement Joey Porter and Clark Haggans or a cornerback with size.

If history repeats itself when the Steelers make the 30th pick in the NFL draft Saturday, barring any last-minute trades, they will choose an offensive lineman.

Four of the last five times the Steelers drafted 20th or below with Bill Cowher as their coach, they chose an offensive lineman. They did so the only other time they had the 30th pick, in 2002, and guard Kendall Simmons became a starter immediately.

With their offensive line depth depleted following the free agency departures of 2004 starters Oliver Ross and Keydrick Vincent, Mississippi tackle Marcus Johnson or Washington tackle Khalif Barnes might prove tempting - though it's possible neither will be around when the Steelers choose.

"We lost two players and replaced them with no one," Cowher said. "So I think your math would say that is an area we would like to address."

The Steelers have replacements set for the two departed starters. Simmons, out last season with a knee injury, regains his job at right guard and 2004 third-round pick Max Starks, the son of former NFL star lineman Ross Browner, looks ready to take over at right tackle.

The Steelers learned the dangers of being undermanned along the offensive line while going 6-10 in 2003, a year that laid the groundwork for their turnaround 15-1 season a year ago. The offensive line's health, continuity and performance were a season-long struggle in 2003.

"We have not had very good years when there has been some instability in our offensive line," Cowher said. "It is hard to throw it, it is hard to run it, it is hard to do much consistently offensively if you don't have a good offensive line. I feel that our offensive line is a good one but, certainly, behind those five guys, you don't have a lot of depth."

This draft is one of the most unpredictable in years, and not just because the Steelers choose third from the bottom. They have a number of needs (cornerback, outside linebacker, tight end, wide receiver), yet none so severe it mandates they devote their first-round pick to it.

Because of that, Cowher and director of football operations Kevin Colbert said they can choose the player they have graded the highest, regardless of position - not just the highest-rated player at a certain position.

Other Steelers first-round possibilities: Arkansas quarterback-turned-receiver Matt Jones, Virginia tight end Heath Miller, Iowa defensive end Matt Roth and maybe even Virginia Tech outside linebacker Daryl Blackstock.

To Colbert, an unpredictable draft doesn't necessarily make it an unproductive draft.

"I guess at this draft there probably are not as many marquee guys at the top but really I think there are going to be some All-Pro type players to come out," Colbert said. "It's a little harder to identify who is going to be there at (No.) 30. We really feel good that there will be one that's going to be there for us."

Technically, the No. 30 pick is tied with 2002 for the lowest in Steelers history. They had the final first-round pick in 1975, 1976, 1979 and 1980 after winning Super Bowls, but the NFL had fewer teams then - 26 in 1975 and 28 in the other three drafts.