FanPost

How will Jarryd Hayne’s rugby acumen transfer to the NFL?

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*Originally published by Nate Howard on isportsweb.com

So, 49ers fans, there’s an Australian rugby star who signed with your team last month, and you may be wondering what to make of it. Perhaps you’re more concerned about how new head coach Jim Tomsula plans to resurrect this team from their worst offseason in recent memory. Understandable, but lost in all the retirement headlines was the tale of another step toward making a groundbreaking movement a norm: international rugby players coming to The States to test the waters of American football.

Hayne is not the only rugger to try this recently. There's former Jets tight end Hayden Smith, who was with the team less than two years before returning to rugby (he currently plays for Saracens in London). There's also Nate Ebner of the Patriots, who played for Ohio State and the USA Junior National team before walking on to the Buckeye football team his junior year in Columbus. Carlin Isles, a winger for the USA Rugby 7s team and the Glasgow Warriors, was on the Detroit Lions practice squad for a short time before reverting back to rugby.

A more notable case is that of Daniel Adongo, a Kenyan rugby star who played rugby most recently for the Sharks club in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. What's interesting about Adongo is that he had no American football experience before the Indianapolis Colts, led by pro scout/special projects coordinator Jon Shaw, signed him. Why did the Colts sign Adongo, then? Well, he is a lean 6'5, 270 with a 4.57 40 and an 11-foot broad jump. From a rugby standpoint, it is worth noting that the rules between rugby league and rugby union are different. League has only 13 guys and is more structured in terms of sequence, while union is more free-flowing. Here is a short clip differentiating the two, although the skills from both translate to football in similar fashion. Hayne's move is unprecedented. He's giving up his life as a hometown hero and as the arguably top rugger in the world to chase this goal. Here's a look at how Jarryd Hayne of the San Francisco 49ers projects to the NFL in terms of measurables and transferable skills:

Measurables

The former Perramatta Eels star looks like he can at least compete physically with the average NFL player. He's 6'2, 220 and ran a 4.5 40 when working out for scouts before signing with the 49ers. To put it in perspective, Carlos Hyde is 6'0, 230 and ran a 4.66, Reggie Bush is 5'11, 200 and ran a 4.38, and Kendall Hunter is 5'7, 200 with a 4.53 (nfl.com). Given the endurance-based nature of rugby, Hayne will look to add more quicks and muscle mass to acclimate his body to the intermittent, more powerful plays in football. Moreover, Hayne will have to work on polishing his change of direction and refining his body control, as the structure and space of his area of operation will be more tight than on a rugby pitch and a typical rugby formation.

Transferable skills

Hayne's primary position in rugby was as a fullback (there will be no mention of the football position of fullback in this article, just the rugby one). Fullback is essentially a free safety and a punt returner combined when the fullback's team is on defense. The way rugby defense works is that the other guys are in a flat line to eliminate offensive ball carriers from shooting a gap. If there is a break in the line of defense, the fullback is expected to make the open field tackle to prevent a score. It's also worth noting that Hayne knows nothing but secure form-tackling, as rugby rules require the tackler to wrap up and prohibit defenders from contacting ball carriers above the torso area (there is a little subjectivity between league and union when making that call).

If the situation warrants, ball carriers can punt the ball down the field, which leaves the fullback responsible for fielding the kick and setting up the offense, in which he is expected to break off lengthy runs. Though his defensive ability and ball carrying prowess on the rugby pitch may cause people to think of Hayne as a potential H-back or free safety, Hayne projects best as a special teamer. More specifically, he would be best used as a punt/kick returner and a gunner. He is listed on the running back depth chart because he has the ability to hit the hole and break tackles, but he will need time to figure out the vision aspect of running in a football offense. If Hayne were to play at running back, the best system for him would be a one-cut zone scheme, as that would best emulate a defensive rugby formation, though vaguely.

Realistically speaking, Hayne's ceiling is probably as a Pro Bowl special teams player whose unique story will be intriguing enough to boost ticket sales at Levi's Stadium and TV ratings from global audiences. There are just so many intricacies in football for the 27-year-old to learn before understanding offensive in defensive formations that it's unlikely he will be savvy enough to impact those parts of the game before it's time to call it a career. Don't write him off, though. If he's determined enough to leave home and the sport that made him an icon, he could be capable of streamlining the process of becoming a skill position player in the NFL.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors.