Why would anyone assume that's why Benning picked Jake? I don't think he's nearly as short sighted as some Canuck fans are. And I certainly don't think he was expecting Jake to 'fix' the 2015 team's problems and hence 'prioritized him'. I mean I agree with you with the BPA principle but I REALLY don't think Benning strayed from that.
As you said, we needed literally everything. That includes what Jake can bring. And if he becomes:
...that's still a good pick.
In hindsight, knowing how Ehlers has turned out so far would I maybe take him instead? Possibly. I'd likely still take Virt over Nylander though and we won't know 'for sure' who the better player will be for another 5+ years.
By all means, if Virtanen can't become a pro in the next couple years and start becoming that player, sure you can call it a 'bad pick' then I suppose, if that's your thing. It's still far too early and impatient to be proclaiming anything at this point though.