PITTSBURGH - The Steelers have relied on the NFL draft as their primary talent source since 1969, when coach Chuck Noll and player personnel chief Art Rooney Jr. scrapped the longstanding policy of dealing draft picks for veterans.

Since then, the Steelers have fallen into a predictable pattern: Draft well and win, as they did in the 1970s and most of the 1990s. Draft poorly and lose, as they did throughout the 1980s.

As the Steelers prepare for Saturday's draft, when they hope to fill needs at cornerback, the offensive line and possibly quarterback, a look back at their good - and not-so-good - drafts:

1974- The best draft class by any team in any year: Hall of Famers Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, Mike Webster. Since then, no team has drafted more than one Hall of Fame player in a given year.1970- Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw in the first round, Hall of Famer Mel Blount in the third.1971- Depth and more depth. Hall of Famer Jack Ham in the second round, guard Gerry "Moon" Mullins and defensive end Dwight White in the fourth, tackle Larry Brown in the fifth then, in the very late rounds, defensive lineman Ernie "Fats" Holmes and safety Mike Wagner. Proof to this day that impact players don't always arrive in the first round.

1969- The Steelers could have stopped after drafting Joe Greene - the first choice of the Noll era - and still have had an exceptional class. But they also got defensive end L.C. Greenwood in the 10th round, plus longtime starting lineman Jon Kolb.1987- The Steelers' best draft since the 1970s: Rod Woodson, one of the greatest defensive backs in NFL history, in the first, plus future Pro Bowl linebackers Hardy Nickerson and Greg Lloyd in later rounds. The 10th rounder also became a productive player until a string of concussions cut short his career: running back Merril Hoge.1992- Bill Cowher's first draft wasn't as good as Noll's, but it wasn't bad: tackle Leon Searcy, linebacker Levon Kirkland and defensive lineman Joel Steed in the first three rounds. All eventually made the Pro Bowl.1972- One fateful decision made this draft one of the best in team history: after considerable debate, they went for Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris on the first round, not running back Robert Newhouse.1996- OK, so lineman Jamain Stephens was one of their worst first-rounders. But they dealt their second-round pick (and a fourth-rounder in 1997) for Jerome Bettis, one of the top six rushers in NFL history.

1955- Hall of Fame QB Johnny Unitas will be remembered as the greatest ninth-round pick ever - at least he will in Baltimore, where he became one of the top stars in league history.1957- Hall of Fame QB Lenny Dawson will be remembered as one of the Steelers' best first-rounders - at least he will in Kansas City, where he became a star after barely playing for Pittsburgh.1956- The Steelers thought they had a real find with bonus pick Gary Glick, a running back who went No. 1 overall but never did much in the NFL. It was one of the NFL's best drafts, producing Hall of Famers Bart Starr, Lenny Moore, Sam Huff, Forrest Gregg and Willie Davis, yet the Steelers went 0-for-2. Their first-rounder, running back Art Davis, also was a washout.1962- First-round running back Bob Ferguson played only two seasons in Pittsburgh. The next six picks were traded. The only find was eighth-round receiver Gary Ballman.1963- Their worst draft class, mostly because it was a no-show. Coach Buddy Parker traded away the top seven picks.1966- Started off badly with first-rounder Dick Leftridge, the West Virginia fullback who lasted only one season. His Steelers career totals: eight carries for 17 yards and two touchdowns. Seventh-rounder Emerson Boozer was much better; he became the leading rusher in team history - the New York Jets' history.1968- Because Noll, Greene, etc., arrived a year later; it's a largely forgotten draft - and justifiably so. First-round tackle Mike Taylor lasted only two seasons, and it only got worse from there. The second rounder was tackle Ernie Ruple. Remember him? The Steelers don't.1973- Amid a remarkable six-year stretch in which they drafted nine Hall of Famers came this clunker. Among their top four picks were defensive back Ken Phares, guard Roger Bernhardt and linebacker Gail Clark.1979-1981- Want to know why the Steelers' string of Super Bowls ran out? These drafts tell you why. The first three picks in 1979: Greg Hawthorne, Zack Valentine, Russell Davis; 1980: Mark Malone, Bob Kohrs, John Goodman; 1981: Keith Gary, Anthony Washington, Rick Donnalley. The best picks were in the later rounds: Dwaine Board, would go on to win Super Bowls with the 49ers; Craig Wolfley, Tunch Ilkin, Dwayne Woodruff, Matt Bahr.1983- They passed up hometown QB Dan Marino, a fateful decision that set them back for years. Instead, they chose to rebuild their defense with lineman Gabe Rivera, who was paralyzed in a car accident midway through that season and never played again.1985- Defensive end Darryl Sims was one of their worst first-rounders. Offensive tackle Mark Behring was one of their worst second-rounders. Defensive back Liffort Hobley was one of their worst third-rounders. It didn't get any better after that.1989- They had two-first-rounders, running back Tim Worley and tackle Tom Ricketts. They would have been better off starting with their second-rounder: safety Carnell Lake.1991- LB Huey Richardson was the 1990s answer to Dick Leftridge: a first rounder who lasted only one season.