Rugby Star Jarryd Hayne Signed by the 49ers
On Tuesday, the San Francisco 49ers announced that they have signed Jarryd Hayne, a former rugby star, to a three-year deal. The 27-year-old is considered an undrafted free agent.
The Sydney, Australia native comes from a good athletic lineage, as his father, Manoa Thompson, was also a rugby player who represented his home country of Fiji on their national rugby team.
While his father has a good resume, Hayne’s has surpassed it in stature. In his nine years playing for the Parramatta Eels of the National Rugby League, Hayne has racked up a myriad of awards and honors. He’s won a number of Dally M Awards (named for former NRL great Dally Messenger), including Rookie of the Year in 2006, Winger of the Year in 2007, Fullback of the Year in 2009 and 2014, and the Player of the Year in 2009 and 2014.
2009 was his best year, and he was named the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) International Player of the Year, given to the best rugby player in the world, as voted on by the committee.
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In international play, Hayne represented Fiji, following in the footsteps of his father, at the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. In 2013, he played for the Australian team at the World Cup.
Hayne held a personal Pro Day last December, and measured at six feet and two inches tall, and weighed in at 226 pounds. He also ran a 4.53 second 40-yard dash. Three teams held private workouts for Hayne as well. When all was said and done, Hayne chose San Francisco over the Detroit Lions, and the much-hated rival Seattle Seahawks.
In preparation for his transition to the NFL, Hayne has been working out with former NFL wide receiver Tim Dwight, in order to learn the ins and outs of playing the game. Dwight spent 10 years in the NFL, and he can pass on valuable lessons to Hayne, who will need any and all help he can get to make the move as seamless as possible.
Because of his skill set and size, Hayne projects to be listed as a running back, but immediately, his biggest impact will likely come from special teams. If he will make the team coming out of his first camp, he will need to leave a lasting impression with his special teams play.
One way that Hayne could be utilized is as an H-Back type player. Hayne could take handoffs, line up as a tight end, and play in the slot. The 49ers’ Bruce Miller is used in a similar way. Although Miller doesn’t take many handoffs (just 22 in four seasons), he does shift around the line and make some catches (66 in four seasons).
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Hayne will look to follow the path of some other former rugby players who have made their own name in the NFL. Gary Anderson, the South African kicker, turned to the NFL and became one of the greatest kickers ever, as he is second in NFL history in points. Anderson also played for the 49ers for one season.
Haloti Ngata, although he didn’t play professionally, also played rugby in high school, and he helped him team win the National Rugby Championship during his rugby days. Highlights of the fleet-footed 340-pound Ngata during his rugby days are shown a lot during NFL game broadcasts.
Hayne has a long way to go to make a successful switch to the NFL game. But he is already working hard to learn as much as possible beforehand. He will need to continue that hard work to make it in the League.