Jarryd Hayne: 5 reasons why he'll make the 49ers 53-man roster
The San Francisco 49ers signed Jarryd Hayne, a rugby league player from Australia, and many sneered. Yes there was the hype, yes there was expectation but there were plenty who were saying that he wouldn't pass muster. They aren't saying that now though.
The four preseason games, culminating in a 14-12 win over the San Diego Chargers, served notice on the NFL-watching American public that Jarryd Hayne was no flash-in-the-pan Crocodile Dundee from the backwaters of the Australian outback chancing his arm at a sport roughly similar to the one that he's been playing all his life. At times sparkling, at other times consistent, Jarryd Hayne's displays on the gridiron have made many revise their opinion of him and sit up and take notice.
Here are five reasons why the 'Hayne Plane' will make the San Francisco 49ers final 53-man roster for the 2015 NFL season roster.
1. They can't afford to not select him
If the 49ers decide not to select him, instead placing him 'on waivers', then they run the risk of losing him as they cannot resign him to the practice squad until he's completed a 24-hour period on the waiver list. During that time, any other NFL team is able to claim him from waivers. Looking at his output, general athleticism and improvement potential then you would think that this would become a certainty. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the 49ers know this already and that it will be a 'certainty' that they wish to avoid.
2. Hayne is Mr Versatility and gives options
One thing all teams want is that 'one-spot, three-job' player - in other words a player who only takes up one roster spot but can fulfil more than one role on the team. That's where Jarryd Hayne proves invaluable, he definitely has versatility in his armoury. Able to operate as a running back out of the backfield, a pass-catching back, a kick returner and as a member on Special Team kick coverage duty. Not only is Hayne versatile and an option in many roles, he's also showing that he's pretty adept at all of them. It's obviously early days yet but you have to remember that Hayne is only a few months and four games into his NFL career with the 49ers.
3. Hayne promises more
A few months and four games into a new career and a new sport and, to be fair, looking pretty comfortable. If what has been seen already, admittedly against second-string players in pre-season, is what he is capable of now, based on natural talent and limited coaching, then imagine what he might be capable of at this point next season. More intense coaching and exposure to higher intensity games can only serve to lift and polish Hayne's general understanding of football and his performances in the sport itself.
4. Offensive output in pre-season
To say that Hayne has shown offensive promise is actually underselling him somewhat. There has been plenty of fizz and zip about Hayne's performance on on the 49ers' offensive unit over the four pre-season games. Whilst he has not scored a touchdown, there has been enough seen to suggest definite promise in his general play. He regularly makes the first defender miss with his good footwork and shifts of balance.
He also has the second-most rushing yardage in the NFL pre-season with 175 yards in 25 carries, trailing Zach Zenner by 8 yards - Zenner had 10 more carries though. Added to this, Hayne has big play potential, highlighted by his breakaway 53-yard run against the Houston Texans.
5. Hayne offers Special Team flexibility
Hayne has also shown ability in the kick return game as well as the offensive run and catch game. On Thursday against the San Diego Chargers, Hayne fielded 3 punts and returned them for an average gain of 14.3 yards. Over the four games of preseason, Hayne's punt return average stands at a more than respectable 18.1 yards. To put this into perspective, the San Francisco 49er ended the 2014 season with a punt return average of 6.5 yards and with a longest punt return of 23 yards (by Bruce Ellington) - both marks which have been beaten by Hayne this preseason. Hayne has also shown that he can perform on on Sprcisl Team kick coverage, beating double team defence to tackle Javontee Herndon for a loss in the game against San Diego.
Now, I'm not in any way saying that Jarryd Hayne is the proverbial automatic shoe-in for a spot on the 49ers' 53-man final roster. However, due to the 5 reasons given, I think that he has done more than enough to earn himself a spot and some serious game time next season.
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