I know you are not a hardcore zorofan trying to foce it, i just dont see it. But even if i approached this from a role aspect:
What was really, in the story WBs role:
- Clearly had low ambitions, which the story even draw attention is, for how strong a guy he is from the begining, "just" wanting a family, depicting him as one of the few top tiers that are not seeking power or wanting to stand on top (directly oppose to mihawk and kinda also zoro)
- Was measured and analytical, he wanted not even 1 other Conqueror in his crew after the disband of rocks (again, mihawk has no crew and zoro is again a DIRECT opposite wanting a headstrong guy like luffy like himself while him being a crew member). Etablishing as a captain unlike the others that disbanded from rocks
- He was impressed by oden that he gave his ambition to leave wano for a woman. Again his role was etablished different than the rest
I could go on but the end point is WB story was to be a counter balance to the traditional captains and strong guys. Just like for example Garp is a "silly" marine at the end of the day with his own way of justice that is way more alligned with the "good guys". Coby can cry all he wants but that is also true to Coby (and also smoker and thats why people also bring him up as the next garp)
Mihawk, and by extension Zoro, do not only have not that role they are LITERAL opposites. They are the straight top tier/future top tier guys WB role in the story are. Like you can feel free to disagree but thats my point and i dont think you are not gonna change that. Its how i read the story every since WB at Marineford when it was released.
I think the issue is also (and i think thats the main issue) people, like law, or some zoro fans, want the Whitebeard parallel not because of whitebeard but because of the WSM Title. However obviously someone could be WSM without being at all like whitebeard neither in role nor personality. Its not like the previous WSS (if there was probally) just like mihawk, Ryuma for example clearly wasnt at all.
Thats why im saying if there is WSM it gonna be stated in the story rather than guessing.
Meanwhile, a straight whitebeard parallel is not yet shown in the story yet. I even heavily disagree with Kidd even if we take out all battle related stuff, Kidds role in the new gen is not like WB at all imo. I actually would say between Law and Kidd, Law is actually more akin to WB function