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You could have played it worse by raising the pot preflop, then potting the flop.

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That would be playing it well.

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OK, I'm curious how raising pre-flop turns this into "playing it well" (assuming you feel the line in the OP is poor play). Would this extend to the pot bet on the turn with nut straight + naked Ace on a flush board with 1 player already all-in?

I can understand how to pre-flop raise would be better, but not how it makes the difference so great that it changes it from poor play to good play.

The only differences I can thnink of are that a pre-flop raise would reduce the number of callers, reduce the potential range of their holdings, and make it easier to go all-in (or near it) on a favourable flop.

OK, good reasons all, but how does your thinking change after the flop if you don't raise and find yourself in a 7-way pot UTG+1 with a 6 out draw and the flush draw Ace?

Isn't it reasonable to say that the flop bet scares off most naked flush draws and you can be pretty certain that any callers either have a set or a naked nut straight? If you get several callers you have odds, and if you get a significant raise you can safely fold.

Or is the problem that in most cases (given the fact that it's 7 handed) either someone will have a raising hand or you'll get exactly one caller thus making the flop bet -EV in the long run?