That sounds plausible. As the neo-SSPX is notorious for selecting novices that will tow the party line, which means more "inflammatory" personalities would be weeded out in favor of those who don't question the SSPX.

I guess I don't have much familiarity with the phenomenon since the two primary priests that serve our chapel are of the "old guard".

Yes, I've been to chapels with some of these younger ones, and of course I've seen many others in various SSPX videos ... and I formed my perception based off of those.

… they don't appear to think independently but merely regurgitate the neo-SSPX talking points…

I find it refreshing when priests have the intellectual fortitude to examine the difficult questions, objections, and counter-objections. I also find it refreshing in laity, but I do have higher expectations of religious.  "We didn't study that in the seminary" and leaving difficult questions at that, not looking any further after seminary, is hardly the ideal. Ironically, the SSPX, having used "false obedience" to explain the successful post-V2 takeover of the hierarchy and edifices, has its own problem with false obedience (and a strain of anti-intellectualism).

A caricature:
"The sign on the dude's office says 'Pope," therefore he is the Pope." "The dude is wearing a zucchetto, therefore he is the Pope. No, not that one, not the German dude, the other dude, the one lighting the menorah."