In October last year, Jarryd Hayne announced that he was quitting the NRL to go and pursue his childhood dream of becoming an NFL superstar.
Hayne is an extraordinary athlete, and he made that evident during his NRL career. The 2006 NRL rookie of the year carried the Parramatta Eels to the grand final in 2009, helped New South Wales win the State of Origin last year and has won two Dally M medals.
Hayne’s transition to American football got off to a shaky start. The former Eels star underwent foot surgery at the start of his training, and struggled to transition to synthetic turf from natural grass.
At six-foot-two (188cm) and 226 pounds (103kg), Hayne was considered too small and too slow to compete with the NFL’s elite athletes.
Hayne would certainly not be the tallest running back nor punt returner in the game, but he certainly is capable of taking a hit – as he took many heavy collisions without padding playing rugby league.
However, the extra padding on Hayne will make him even more dangerous, as he will run faster and harder at defenders knowing the protection is there. Hayne also has exceptional agility, constantly sidestepping several of the best tacklers in the NRL.
After showcasing his ability playing rugby league, Hayne has definitely shown that he has the capability of making the final roster for the San Francisco 49ers.
Hayne is a scary opponent to face and when he receives the ball with extra room to move it will make him an astonishing attacker to watch.
The difference with Hayne and NFL superstar Reggie Bush is having the awareness to escape from tackles and sidestepping between defenders. Bush just runs over the top of them with brute force.
Hayne’s debut for the 49ers was an extreme success, with Hayne testing out two positions: running back and punt returner.
When Hayne touched the ball for a second time, he must have been thinking it was a dream.
Hayne grabbed the ball off quarterback Colin Kaepernick, he accelerated left with his blinding speed through the middle of three defenders at the line of scrimmage before bolting towards the 50 yard line. He stepped right and just got ankle tapped, stumbled for 10 yards but recovered brilliantly to gain 17 more yards before being pushed out of bounds at the opponents 18 yard line.
If Hayne didn’t get ankle tapped judging by his speed before the incident, he would have scored an incredible touchdown.
Hayne’s stats after the game where magnificent. He ran for 63 yards in only five touches from running back. In the special teams at punt returner, he made a 24 yard return, and after receiving the ball from the kick-off he gathered 33 yards.
Many kick-off returners struggle to get to 25 yards.
Hayne is a freak of an athlete. These stats are proof that Hayne can be dangerous no matter where he gets the ball.
His ability to catch the ball in the air and immediately step left or right past two tacklers defines how much awareness he has, and he never panics.
Having a duel position based status in the game is rewarding for both Hayne and the 49ers. Hayne has done an outstanding job in impressing San Francisco coach Jim Tomsula, I believe that he will be the next punt returner for the 49ers.
This is only the start of Hayne becoming a elite NFL superstar.
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