A scenario beyond your imagination has no less of a probability of occurring than one within it. You don't
know (and neither do I) what system(s) he had access to and what type of data he acquired. You're assuming the NSA actually uses certain technologies it has at its disposal and it does so appropriately with no means of proving that assertion. You're also ignoring that the NSA isn't a single "entity". It's instead a very large bureaucracy with countless independent workers, contractors, sub-contractors, assistants, analysts and, yes, even sys-admins.
Some level of the compartmentalization within this mess has clearly failed. His background is irrelevant to that fact.
The point is, he was in a position to have this information regardless and leaked it. That's the story. Your insinuation that his background has some bearing on the information he has already leaked, the parts those within and without the intelligence community has been able to independently verify and the parts that have been confirmed by the WH is completely speculative.