February 24, 2015 - Aaron Wilson
Australian rugby star Jarryd Hayne expected to sign with an NFL team soon
Former Australian rugby star Jarryd Hayne is poised to sign with an NFL team as soon as this week.
A projected running back and kick returner, Hayne has visited the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.
Hayne was named the best player in the National Rugby League last season before retiring from the sport to pursue a football career.
The New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets have also shown interest in Hayne.
"As of right now, we have narrowed the field down to three teams and a decsion will be made soon," said agent Jack Bechta of JB Sports. "Working with Jarryd has been exciting and I appreciate his patience through this process. He's a true pro. I'm confident in his abilities and have been extremely impressed with how fast he learns. We are still working through a few things and getting close to getting Jarryd in an NFL uniform."
Hayne recently ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds. His time would rank him sixth among running backs from the NFL scouting combine, including Michigan State's Jeremy Langford (4.42), Florida State's Karlos Williams (4.48), Texas A&M's Trey Williams (4.49), Northern Iowa's David Johnson (4.50) and Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon (4.52).
Here is an exclusive look at clips from Hayne's pro day:
Other teams that attended his Pro Day at the University of San Diego or requested video included the Dallas Cowboys, San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins.
The 6-foot-2, 226 pounder had a 1.59 10-yard split and 4.29 20-yard shuttle. The running back drills were run by retired NFL running backs and offensive coordinator Clarence Shelmon.
Hayne trained at Jay Glazer's Unbroken workout facility. He also had several kick return sessions, including catching punts from Sav Rocca and Mat McBriar while being tutored by Darren Bennett and Tim Dwight.
"I got to work with Jarryd for three weeks and I was very impressed with his skill set," Shelmon said. "He has a tall, linear build that reminds of one of my former players, Chris Warren. Like Chris, he has exceptional hands, good feet and runs tall. I was pleasantly surprised how quickly he caught on for never having played the game before.
"He has natural ball skills and catches the ball naturally. I am convinced he can help a team out immediately in the punt and kickoff return game, and eventually make it as a running back.”
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Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun