Here's the best answer I've thought of Itse.
The draft is often broken down into tiers by scouts. That's because they see those players on a similar level but its hard to pick between them. Minute differences may be the only reason you favour player X over player Y. This could be a Hall vs Seguin top tier. Or a Ekblad vs Bennett vs Reinhart vs Draisaitl top tier of 4.
When you are drafting inside the tier and picking between two fairly equivalent players then you can definitely decide based on need.
If you're sitting at #6 and Chychrun is in your top tier of 5 players then you have to take him, he's the best player available. He's a whole tier above the other players left. Regardless of position you'd take him.
If you're sitting at #3 and you see Chychrun, Tkachuk and Puljujarvi as being fairly equivalent, on the same tier then you can draft by position.
If we draft at #3 we'd probably take Puljujarvi.
If EDM drafts at #3 wouldn't surprise me if they took or traded down to take Chychrun.
So I guess I believe in both BPA and drafting by position. Sometimes in a tier of fairly equivalent players you certainly can take a positional need.
You certainly wouldn't take a 2nd line RWer over a top 2 d-man just because we need RWers. I think we can all agree on that.
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