We didn't mortgage the future last yr did we?
I don't get this all or nothing mindset. The goal should be to get better every yr . Not we have to stink for a couple yrs to have any shot at being contenders.
Intentionally building a team that will lose more games than the team you could build is a lot like selling your soul to devil. You always end up worse off than you think you will be, and Daniel Webster ain't around to get you off the hook.
Teams that draft high tend to draft high every year. That's empirical evidence that being bad to get high draft picks does not get you out of being bad. Everyone who was a Saints fan prior to Benson buying the team should bloody well know that.
If a team is bad a drafting, they draft badly no matter where their picks are. If a team is good at drafting, they draft well no matter where their pics are. QB's drafted after the 10th pick have just as good a track record as QB's taken prior to the 10th pick.
Hurts was taken in the second round. The Chiefs traded up to the 10th spot to draft Mahommes. Brees was taken in the second round. Brady was taken in the 8th. Purdy was taken kind of late in the draft too, wasn't he? What pick was used to draft Lamar Jackson?
Some firmly believe that Rattler is the next franchise QB of the Saints. What round was he taken in? Payton took Bo Nix with the 12th pick. The list goes on and on.