PITTSBURGH - Some traditions of the Pittsburgh Steelers rarely change. Their commitment to the run. Those black-and-gold uniforms. Their reluctance to throw to the tight end.

Heath Miller isn't lobbying yet for new uniforms or for Jerome Bettis to get the ball less, but hopes to do something immediately about those limited number of passes to the tight end.

Miller, a 6-foot-5, 255-pound Virginia junior and Mackey award winner as the nation's top tight end last season, became quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's newest and biggest target Saturday.

As they've done before, the Steelers are promising that this tight end will get the ball. Only this time, they might be serious.

Miller, one of the most productive tight ends in Division I-A history, is only the third tight end drafted by Pittsburgh on the first round in 28 years, joining Mark Bruener (1995) and Eric Green (1990). The Steelers clearly like the added options he gives an offense that saw 2004 starter Jerame Tuman make only nine catches all season.

"He's a guy who fits what we like to do - he can block and he can stretch the field," coach Bill Cowher said of Miller, who caught 144 passes in three college seasons. "We don't need to change the offense (for him), and that's the good thing about a guy like that. He can enhance what we do and add another dimension.

"We want to put good players around our quarterback and not get away from what we do," Cowher said.

A Steelers starting tight end hasn't caught even 20 passes since Bruener had 26 receptions as a rookie. But it's not as if Cowher has always considered the tight end to be a sixth offensive lineman who rarely runs pass routes; Green caught 63 passes in 1993 and 46 in 1994 before signing with Miami.

"They talk about us not throwing to the tight end, but we try to utilize what we have," Cowher said. "When we had Eric Green here, we tried to utilize him. I'm not saying he's Eric Green ... but he's a no-nonsense guy who is a good fit for what we do."

The Steelers chose a cornerback on the second round and an offensive lineman on the third, just as they did last year.

Bryant McFadden made only one interception as a Florida State senior, but follows up last year's second-round selection of Ricardo Colclough from Division II Tusculum. And the Steelers have been interested in third-round lineman Trai Essex of Northwestern for weeks, bringing him in for a pre-draft visit.

The 6-foot, 193-pound McFadden is taller than either starting cornerback, the 5-10 Deshea Townsend and 5-9 Willie Williams, and is closer in size to former starter Chad Scott, who was released after the season ended.

"He (McFadden) is tough, physical and played in a major program," assistant coach Darren Perry said. "He has the size to match up with the wide receivers in our division."

The 320-pound Essex began his college career as a tight end, moved to left tackle but could wind up as an NFL guard. The Steelers were expected to draft a lineman early after losing guard Keydrick Vincent and tackle Oliver Ross as free agents.

"The Steelers have been my team since I was a kid," said Essex, whose favorite player was former running back Barry Foster. "Whenever I played Nintendo, they were my team."

The Steelers sought to expand the tight end's role two years ago when they signed former Bills tight end Jay Riemersma, but he caught only 17 passes combined in two injury-filled seasons. Tuman is a skilled blocker, but has averaged fewer than one catch per game while starting all but four games in the last two seasons. The five tight ends currently on the Steelers' roster caught 15 passes last season.

Miller made 41 catches last season, five for touchdowns, after making 70 receptions as a sophomore. He made a career-high nine touchdown catches as a freshman, only a year after the former Virginia high school all-state quarterback changed positions so he could play sooner.

Miller was one of five players the Steelers believed might be available when they chose, especially after the Jets acquired tight end Doug Jolley from Oakland on Thursday for the No. 26 overall pick.

"I always knew in the back of my mind they (the Steelers) were an option," Miller said. "I'm excited to be part of this team, with the history behind it."

Some NFL teams were nervous about the sports hernia injury Miller sustained midway through last season, one that became increasingly painful. He had surgery in January, and the Steelers expect him to be ready for training camp.

Cowher revealed that the doctor who operated on Miller, William Meyers of Philadelphia, also performed the same surgery on Steelers cornerback Deshea Townsend several months ago. Former Steelers linebacker Kendrell Bell also missed most of last season with a sports hernia.

"If there was any concern, we would not have made this pick," director of football operations Kevin Colbert said.

The Steelers gave quarterback Ben Roethlisberger another tall target Sunday by drafting 6-foot-4 Georgia receiver Fred Gibson on the fourth round, two rounds later than Gibson hoped and a round later than some scouts predicted.

Ward offers proof that a receiver doesn't need to go in the first or second round to be an NFL star. A third-rounder, he is a four-time Pro Bowl receiver and one of the most consistently productive players in Steelers' history, averaging 93 receptions since 2001.

"I know Hines pretty well, and I talked to Hines this entire process," Gibson said Sunday. "He told me that no matter where you get drafted, it's all about what you do when you get there."

The 200-pound Gibson isn't as physical as Ward and is a below-average blocker, but his size gives Roethlisberger a downfield threat and possible replacement for the 6-5 Plaxico Burress. Burress signed a $25 million, six-year contract with the Giants last month.

None of the Steelers' top three receivers - Ward, Antwaan Randle El and Cedrick Wilson - is taller than 6-0, one reason why they added Gibson and 6-5 tight end Heath Miller, their first-round draft pick out of Virginia.

"I think it is extremely important (to have receivers with different styles and sizes)," receivers coach Bruce Arians said. "If they are going to double team Hines or Antwaan, you have to have some kind of mismatch outside. I think he will give us that."

Gibson caught at least 33 passes in each of his four college seasons and had 20 career touchdown catches. He made a career-high 49 receptions for a 16.3 average and seven touchdowns last season, including a 19-yard scoring catch against Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl.

Gibson also has some excess baggage: He was one of nine Bulldogs players suspended after the 2002 season for selling his 10-karat gold SEC championship ring - in Gibson's case, for $2,000. But the NCAA later ruled the players eligible because there was no precedence for a suspension, though it said any future cases would be a violation.

The case became known as "Ringgate" and soiled the Bulldogs' first SEC championship season in 20 seasons. University officials decided that if the Bulldogs repeated as SEC champs, which they didn't, the players involved must pay $300 for their rings.

Gibson said he sold his ring because he needed the money, but later regretted his decision.

"I'll tell you one thing: I wouldn't sell it again," Gibson said in 2003. "I'm going to give it to my grandmother."

Gibson added 10 pounds via weightlifting last season after Georgia coach Mark Richt offered an unflattering comparison of him with another 6-foot-4 receiver, Tennessee's Kelley Washington.

"If you stood them side-by-side, you'd see a tall skinny kid and you'd see a man," Richt said.

Gibson said he never let any criticism bother him, even that for the ring sale.

"It's big-time football and everybody wants to win every game," he said. "If you lose one game at Georgia, everybody goes crazy. ... They just criticize no matter what. I never let things like that get to me. I'm a talented football player and I'm ready."

Two other Steelers picks Sunday had on- or off-the-field issues during their college careers.

Temple linebacker Rian Wallace, a fifth-rounder, was suspended for the Pitt game last season following a locker room fight but still made all-Big East. The 6-foot-3, 243-pound Wallace, a former Pottstown High running back, passed up his senior season to turn pro.

"I had some family issues to take care of," Wallace said. "It's hard for me to see my mother not have hot water at home and me be at college where all my stuff is paid for, and my family struggles day to day."

Utah guard Chris Kemoeatu, a second-team All-American last season, was ejected for consecutive games in 2003 for kicking opposing players, one of whom was hospitalized. He was suspended for one game and ordered by coach Urban Meyer to attend anger management classes.

"You had better solve it when you're 20, 21 years old, and not when you're 35 years old, because then you get dangerous," Meyer said.

Still, the Steelers don't seem worried about the suspensions, and Kemoeatu said, "The mean streak I've got, I think I've overcome that and I've matured."

Kemoeatu must go against a former college rival in practice, Brigham Young defensive Shaun Nua, one of Pittsburgh's two seventh-round picks. Nua becomes the third Steelers defensive lineman from BYU, joining nose tackle Chris Hoke and end Brett Keisel.

The other seventh-round pick was Northwestern running back Noah Herron, a teammate of third-round lineman Trai Essex.

AP-ES-04-25-05 0008EDT