"We'd committed to him for at least one season to put in that developmental work. To his credit, he really picked up the mental aspect of the game fairly quickly. Impressive pre-season: San Francisco 49ers rookie Jarryd Hayne. Credit:Getty Images "A lot of his skill-sets that he exhibited in Australian rugby in open field running was a big part of that game that comes naturally. He's still learning how to play that running back position and run the ball between the tackles but I think when you get him in the open field, whether if it's from the running back position or the return position, that's where he excels." It's understood that before the pre-season the 49ers viewed Hayne, who was given just a $100,000 guarantee, as a practice squad player. However, the former Parramatta fullback's stunning performances in four trials forced the organisation to reassess its options. Had they put Hayne on the practice squad, the 49ers would have left the door open for a rival franchise to poach him during the 20-hour waiver period after the naming of their 53-man roster.

Baalke insists there would have been no chance Hayne would have ended up with the 49ers had they not picked him in their top 53. "We didn't feel we would get him through waivers to the practice squad," Baalke said. "We didn't think there was any chance he could clear waivers. He's not only proven capable of handling the mental part of the game - the run block, the pass protection and that stuff. But just the open field plays he was able to make, he's got excellent hands. "You can see that as a return guy and you can also see that in the back field as a receiver from the running back position. He's also very competitive on the cover teams. There was just too much good film on him to think we were going to have the ability to get him through to the practice squad." But Baalke insists the rugby league convert wasn't just picked to prevent rival clubs from poaching the talent they had just unearthed. "I think he earned it," Baalke said. "There's no question in our minds that he earned it. When you can play on all the special teams, on cover teams, when you can return both kick offs and you can play in the running back role, that's a lot of value to an NFL team.

"We call those guys in special teams "core four" guys, and he's certainly a core four guy with a return ability. I've talked to several general managers, a couple that were in the running to try and sign him when he was a free agent. They're glad to see he has developed as quickly as he has, but they're certainly disappointed that they weren't able to land him. "That's just part of the business. For Jarryd, he selected a team that gave him a commitment, which we did. Then at the same time offered him a coaching staff that had a lot of experience developing players over at NFL Europe." While the 49ers took a leap of faith investing in Hayne, Baalke doesn't believe they were the ones taking the risk. He paid tribute to Hayne's commitment and determination, adamant the Australian was the one who took the gamble on them. "There wasn't much risk in our terms and it wasn't a huge financial commitment," Baalke said. "He was the one making the financial commitment with what he left behind in Australia to pursue a dream. I don't know if that was the convincing factor [for us], but it certainly was a factor. Here's a guy that's at the top of his game and is willing to give it all away at the prime of his career to come over here and chase a dream with the high, high risk factor of those who have come before him."