USB 3 operates at very high bitrates, so I’m not surprised that any ESD protection device degraded signal quality.
I would start with a little research for datasheets and application notes of such devices.
Any…
The best (and probably adequate) ESD protecton device is the connector itself.
First, the GND & Vcc connector pins make first contact because they’re physically longer, and second, the signal wires are quite deeply hidden in the connectors, but you probably already know that.