Josh Jacobs never rushed for more than 640 yards in any of his three years at Alabama, and not only was he not the best RB in college (based on stats) he wasn't even the best RB on his team (Damien Harris). He was, however, the consensus #1 RB.
The reason why Najee Harris could be the consensus #1 RB is because his play style fits in so many systems, so he has far more good landing spots. The guy is a true three down back in ever sense of the word and will absolutely be a beast in the NFL. However, the ceiling on Etienne is far higher imo because of his versatility in the passing game, ie Alvin Kamara. There are a handful of places Etienne could go that would absolutely dominate the league, and make him the consensus #1 pick in their eyes.
Either way, I think we have two outstanding backs this year. It's going to be fun to see if either or both of these guys get taken in the first round. Pittsburgh is rumored to be interested in the late first in one of these guys.