Seattle Seahawks’ interest in rugby superstar Jarryd Hayne
Why do the Seahawks have so much interest in rugby superstar Jarryd Hayne? They are accounted for Marshawn Lynch, one of the best, if not THE best back in the league , Robert Turbin, who gets credited as being ‘baby beast’ AKA Turbo, and Christine Michaels, who’s development is taking longer than expected but has gotten some praise as high as being compared to Adrian Peterson in terms of being explosive. So, why add another potential running back? Or maybe that’s not Seattle’s intentions.
Clarence Shelmon, a former NFL running back and offensive coordinator who recently trained Jarryd Hayne had some good feedback on the rugby star. “I got to work with Jarryd for three weeks and I was very impressed with his skill set. He has a tall, linear build that reminds me 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.”
What stands out to me in that quote is ‘skill set.’ Most college players don’t have the ‘skill set’ that is required to make it in the NFL. Did you know, there is only one sport (baseball) that had more than 2% of NCAA players go pro. So getting compared to a guy like Chris Warren is pretty complimentary. Just incase you need to take the road down memory lane, Warren was a three-time selection for the Pro Bowl in three consecutive seasons (’93, ’94, & ’95). By the end of his stint in Seattle he held the Seahawks’ career rushing record, logging 6,706 total rushing yards for the franchise from 1990 to 1997.
One thing Chris Warren did early in his career was return kicks, something the Seattle Seahawks have lacked since letting Golden Tate walk. Why am I bringing up kick returns? If Seattle can land Hayne, who also has high interests from other teams such as the San Francisco 49ers, the Detroit Lions and others, they could very well use Hayne as a punt and kick returner.
Clarence Shelmon also had this to say about Hayne: “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.” Once again, great feedback for a guy that has never played a single down in the NFL.
Hayne is a 6-foot-2, 226 pounder and has run a 40 time of 4.53, making that the 6th best among running backs at this years NFL combine. The praise is there but his play remains to be seen. There is definitely a long way to go for him as he’ll have to adjust to the game of ‘American football.’