His takeaway: The football neophyte’s impressive preseason is no fluke.

In fact, Mitchell thinks others can take a cue from the man whose first practice with a helmet and shoulder pads came only 30 days ago.

“Some guys try to set you up and other guys just instinctively make guys miss,” said Mitchell, who works as host and analyst for CSN Mid-Atlantic in Washington, D.C. “And (Hayne) just instinctively makes guys miss; he lowers his shoulder pads when he needs to, and he even switches the ball up in his hands.

“Even guys in American football, they don’t do it all the time. He switches the ball from one hand to the other and uses the other hand to stiff-arm. I think that’s a lost art in football.”

At this point, it’s a foregone conclusion Hayne will beat what once appeared to be significant odds and land on the 53-man roster when the 49ers make their final roster cuts Saturday, two days after Thursday’s preseason finale against the Chargers at Levi’s Stadium. In three exhibition games, Hayne has averaged 20 yards on six punt returns, returned his lone kickoff 33 yards and averaged 7.8 yards on 15 carries as a running back.

Hayne figures to make his biggest impact as a rookie as a returner, where his rugby skills have translated well and don’t require him to pick up blitzes or run less upright in heavy traffic.

And, looking to the regular season, Mitchell thinks Hayne has the skills to be much more than a summer sensation. Of course, Mitchell, 47, is something of an expert on the subject: The 14-year NFL player also ranks first in league history in kickoff returns (607) and punt returns (463), and is second to Jerry Rice in all-purpose yards (23,330).

No one has seen the scary view that confronts an NFL returner more than Mitchell. And it’s evident to him that Hayne isn’t unnerved when he peeks up to see a pack of defenders sprinting downfield to deck him. Hayne has six punt returns and zero fair catches (the other 49ers have two returns and two fair catches).

“He seems to be fearless,” Mitchell said. “And when people ask the question, ‘What make a great returner?’ well, first of all, you have to be fearless. If you’re concerned about getting hit, it’s going to be hard for you to look in the air and catch a football when a bunch of people are coming down and their job is to hurt you.

“You don’t just all of the sudden become fearless. You either have that or you don’t. I could tell he’s tough. He played rugby. They don’t have shoulder pads, knee pads, any pads. He’s clearly not worried about it very much.”

It’s worth noting not all former NFL returners are hyping Hayne.

Rick Upchurch’s view? Let’s see him do it when the games don’t include players who will be out of football in the fall.

Upchurch, 63, who spent his eight-year career with the Broncos, is a four-time Pro Bowler who ranks fourth in NFL history in punt-return touchdowns (eight) and seventh in yards per return (12.1). Upchurch says many of the league’s top return men have formed something of a fraternity: He stays in touch with Billie “White Shoes” Johnson and, unprompted, he made an impassioned plea for Mitchell to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

As for Hayne, Upchurch hasn’t seen any highlights and doesn’t plan to tune in until the games count.

“When we start talking about preseason and that whole deal? I don’t put much merit into it,” Upchurch said. “We understand preseason games are like a scrimmage; it’s like high school. When we get into the regular season and (Hayne) starts doing well, OK, now we can start talking. I’m just telling it like it is.”

Mitchell understands Hayne is facing lesser competition, but his view of the preseason is a bit different. After all, Mitchell scored a touchdown the first time he touched the ball in the NFL. In 1990, Mitchell, then with Washington, returned the opening kickoff 92 yards in a preseason opener against Atlanta.

“It was only one return, but it turned into 14 years,” Mitchell said. “So maybe 10 or 12 years from now, we’ll be talking about Jarryd Hayne and we’ll remember the things he did when he was just starting out.”

Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch

Thursday’s game

Who: Chargers vs. 49ers

Where: Levi’s Stadium

When: 7 p.m.

TV: Channel: 5 Channel: 13 Channel: 46

Radio: 810, 107.7

Five to watch

RB Kendall Hunter: He’s sustained two major leg injuries in the past three years (torn Achillles, 2012; torn ACL, 2014) and didn’t make his preseason debut until last week. He finished with 15 yards on seven carries, didn’t exhibit his trademark burst and could be fighting for a roster spot.

G Joe Looney: He started the first two preseason games, but could be on the 53-man bubble. The 49ers have two other young backup guards, Ian Silberman and Brandon Thomas, they might prefer.

S Craig Dahl: He has served as a core special-teams player the past two seasons, but it’s hard to see how he’ll fit on a roster that includes three young safeties (Jimmie Ward, Jaquiski Tartt and L.J. McCray) who figure to stick.

QB Dylan Thompson: The 49ers probably will keep just two quarterbacks. Thompson, an undrafted rookie with a 27.6 preseason passer rating, could be playing to prove he’s worthy of a practice-squad spot.

WR DeAndrew White: The undrafted rookie probably has secured a roster spot with his impressive practices. Still, he has just two catches for 11 yards and the 49ers might like see him to show his skills in a game.

— Eric Branch