Former rugby player Jarryd Hayne, who signed with the 49ers last month despite having never played American football, has been working out with 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. And Kaepernick likes what he sees.
“Phenomenal athlete. Just a natural,” Kaepernick told the Sacramento Bee. “Since the day I met him, since every workout he’s been at, he’s going to give you everything he has. And it doesn’t seem like there’s going to be much of a learning curve for him.”
Hayne is a 6-foot-2, 220-pound native of Australia who has never played American football, but he’s been on the NFL’s radar for years as an athlete who could make the transition. Kaepernick said it’s easy to see him finding a spot in the NFL.
“This is going to be a football player,” he said. “He does a lot of things very well and it’s going to be our job to be able to utilize him and put him in position to allow him to make plays and use that athleticism.”
Hayne got a $100,000 guarantee from the 49ers, which is an awful lot to give a guy who has never played football. If Kaepernick is right, that’s going to be money well spent.