The Pittsburgh Steelers weren’t intending to select a quarterback in the 2018 NFL Draft.

They were set, after all, with Ben Roethlisberger as the franchise leader, Landry Jones as the backup and Joshua Dobbs as the third option.

Then, Mason Rudolph dropped into the third round. The Steelers had a first-round grade on Rudolph, so they traded up three spots and selected the Oklahoma State passer with the No. 76 overall pick.

Could history repeat itself two years later?

The Steelers insist they have no need for another quarterback on their roster when the draft is held in less than two weeks. Everyone with a say in the matter, from team president Art Rooney II to general manager Kevin Colbert to coach Mike Tomlin, has stated publicly there is comfort in having Rudolph as the No. 2 behind Roethlisberger. Devlin Hodges, Paxton Lynch and, to a lesser extent, J.T. Barrett will compete for the third spot.

And with needs elsewhere on offense — mainly wide receiver and running back — and just one pick among the first 100, the Steelers aren’t in position to stockpile one position at the expense of an immediate contributor elsewhere. Especially because the Steelers have missed the playoffs the past two seasons.

But what if the quarterback most associated with the Steelers in some national mock drafts, Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts, remains on the board as the team’s compensatory pick approaches at No. 102 overall? Would the Steelers pass up a quarterback some draft analysts compare to NFL MVP Lamar Jackson?

“You’ve got to have a (team that) can actually look at him and say, ‘You know what? Maybe he’s the future. Maybe he’s a starter down the road,” ESPN analyst Todd McShay said. “ ‘But we have to use him correctly to get value from him.’ ”

Look at him now. @OU_Football

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Hurts enters the draft as one of the most intriguing options at the quarterback position. Along with LSU’s Joe Burrow, the consensus No. 1 overall pick, Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, Oregon’s Justin Herbert and perhaps Utah State’s Jordan Love figure to be taken in the first round.

Hurts falls into the next wave of quarterbacks, a group that includes Georgia’s Jake Fromm, Washington’s Jacob Eason and Florida International’s James Morgan. Hurts’ speed is what sets him apart.

ESPN analyst Mel Kiper originally had a fourth-round grade on Hurts but has nudged him higher up his board in recent mocks.

“I think he’s a late-second round or third rounder,” Kiper said. “I don’t think he gets to Day 3. I think in the third round, somebody jumps at this guy with his intangibles through the roof.”

In three years at Alabama and one at Oklahoma — he transferred after Tagovailoa took over as QB for the Crimson Tide — Hurts passed for 9,477 yards and 80 touchdowns against 20 interceptions. He also rushed for 3,274 yards, including 1,298 in his lone year for the Sooners when he scored 20 touchdowns on the ground. Hurts didn’t, um, hurt his cause by running the 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds at the NFL Combine.

It’s the ability to make plays with his feet that has drawn comparisons between Hurts and Jackson and other multi-dimensional NFL quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson.

“There are a lot of guys playing in the NFL now that are having a lot of success that are similar style players to Jalen,” Alabama coach Nick Saban told reporters at the Senior Bowl. “I think you know who they are. I think the success of those players has kind of broken the stereotype of you’ve got to be a drop-back passer and this is the only way you can win in the NFL.”

Hurts left Alabama after the 2018 season and, because he already had earned his degree, was eligible to play immediately. It didn’t take long for him to decide on a destination. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley had turned transfers Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray into Heisman Trophy winners. Those quarterbacks, however, had spent multiple seasons learning Riley’s offense.

Hurts had just one.

“You’re talking about just being able to go there and without any time in their system and putting my name in the same air as the last two first overall picks,” Hurts told reporters at the NFL Combine.

Hurts didn’t complete the hat trick of Heisman Trophy winners, finishing second to Burrow. But he led the Sooners to the Big 12 title by throwing for a career-high 3,851 yards and 32 touchdown passes, also a career best.

“I don’t put a ceiling on my ability in terms of how great I can be,” Hurts said. “I’m definitely a student of the game and have been able to adjust to all the different coaches I’ve been a part of. For me, it’s about steps every day and being the best I can be.

“I do think that (Jackson and Mahomes) have done great and have been very dynamic at the position, and I’m looking forward to how I can do that as well.”

All Hurts wants is a chance. If an opportunity to start doesn’t come immediately, draft analysts think he could be used much the way the New Orleans Saints have used Taysom Hill as a quarterback/utility player.

“You could get significant contributions from him as a rookie,” Kiper said. “You can’t say that about some of these other guys.”

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