Is sink or swim for Jarryd Hayne

49ers want to see him take a first hit.

A star in the Australian Rugby League, Jarryd Hayne took his first-ever padded practice Tuesday – on a sink or swim style practice.

“I think it will be great for him,” offensive coordinator Geep Chryst said. “Even the sound that pads make. I think it will be good for him to hear in the blocking game. And he’s such a great natural athlete, we’ll see where this goes. … I think there’ll be maybe a humorous moment and then there’ll be a ‘wow’ moment. And it might be all in the same practice.”

Hayne signed with the 49ers in the offseason, and there has been plenty of anticipation about the first time Hayne, 27, gets hit.  The non-padded sessions worked well to his strengths on catching the football and showing off his speed.
Once padded his upright running style, which works well on the rugby pitch, makes him an easy target for linebackers and defensive backs.

“It’s going to take time,” he said. “I’m sure there are going to be times when I get smashed because I’m running too upright. That’s part of the learning curve. I don’t have fear in that. I’d rather get hit hard and learn like that than beat around the bush. It’s one way you learn from your mistakes.”
The rugby star has also been working at punt returner and he’s shown a good feel tracking the ball with secure hands in that role.  Hayne has never been crunched by an NFL, college or high-school defender. But the best way to learn how to do that, all of his coaches have said, is through repetition.

“I hope he keeps his pads down as he runs through the line,” Chryst said. “He’s going to have fun with it. But that’s one thing that you always need reps at the first couple of days is pad level. You put the pads on and you want to hit somebody, but we’ve got to play with our pad level down.”

Colin Kaepernick had a couple of words for Hayne, he said “He’s very talented, very gifted naturally. I’m looking forward to seeing how this preseason plays out for him.”

In a blitz pickup drill immediately following warmups, Hayne successfully absorbed a Nick Moody direct hit to the chest. The running back stood his ground against a linebacker known for packing quite the punch.

Several people asked if Hayne was nervous on his first day in pads: “I wasn’t nervous. I’m too old for that. It’s about techniques and figuring out the best way to use my body.”

“I’ve got to keep working on the finer details of my game. I’m enjoying the challenge and the opportunity.”

JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
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