Lawrence Taylor was already that guy at 22.
He only got better. There has never been a more feared pass-rusher, and that includes Reggie White. And, when asked to, he could also cover at a pretty good level. And he was phenomenal against the run. I don't know if the cocaine helped or hurt him, but I do know he was almost never out of position, and almost never got beat, or blocked. Some of that was, I'm sure, Belichick simplifying things, but I could then ask, isn't he doing the same for Collins?
This isn't to say that Collins isn't a great player, and he's got a chance to be the best LB that has ever played here (although he's got a ways to catch Andre Tippett) for sure. But Lawrence Taylor is, in my mind, and I think in Bill Belichick's mind, the greatest linebacker to ever put on shoulder pads. That would make Taylor the best LB Belichick has ever coached.
And JJ Watt is better than Richard Seymour ever was. The two really don't merit comparison. Seymour was very good and filled his position very well at times. JJ Watt is a disruptive force in both the run and pass game, and an exponentially better athlete.