Reviewing the pics again, it looks like the little nipple thing that contacts the cam follower is unevenly worn....and actually a bit worn down as well. That would definitely cause the follower to not run quite true on the cam.
You were right to replace the pump
The ceramic follower may not be a bad idea, and Swedish aftermarket engineers from past experience know what they’re doing. It’s clear VW themselves had massive issues with follower wear, hence adding a DLC coating, and then a harder cam and finally, switching to a roller follower and different pump on the EA888. So in other words, the ceramic follower can only help an already flawed setup
A new inlet cam is only £200ish from VAG, so not a major deal if it comes to it