When I caught the football, I could see exactly where everyone was coming from. That's unique. I think he's got that type of vision. When you have that, which a lot of players don't have that, the sky is the limit for this man. Jarryd Hayne and Jerry Rice. Credit:Getty Images From day one I had no doubt he was going to make that football team. I could tell. This is totally different from football in Australia, but this guy just had that x-factor about him. You could see it, and you knew that he was going to do something special. I think it's a great accomplishment what he has done but I think there's still more to come with him. He's only going to get better.

He's still trying to find his way right now, but once he really gets the feel for this game, I think he's going to take it to a whole different level. Legend: Jerry Rice won three Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers. Credit:Allsport I'm telling you man, I'm excited to see when he gets the ball. I'm excited because something is going to happen. He runs downhill but he also has very deceptive speed. That was something I always had. I didn't have blazing speed but I had football speed and I see that in him. He has football speed.

What I like about Jarryd is that he's a decisive runner. Any time that he touches the ball it's electrifying. Any time you have a running back like that you have to involve him in the game. I think he's going to be a very big factor for the San Francisco 49ers. The thing I like about him too, is punt return. He has very, very good hands and he doesn't catch the ball with his body. He can trust his hands and when he touches the ball, man, it's like 'okay, this guy is going to do something with it'. Every time you have a player like that, you know something is going to happen during that football game. If that punt team, if they block for him and have confidence, once he touches the football he's always going to do something positive and help the Niners to win.

I think he's only going to get better with more experience and confidence. They are going to have to involve him. They're going to have to involve him even as running back. They are going to have to design plays for him. I want to see him come out of the backfield a little bit more, catch the football, catch it out in space and being able to elude guys and turn that into yardage after catch. I haven't had the opportunity to speak with him yet, but I would love to. I think he's a great kid. He's crossed that barrier saying 'hey, yeah I played Australian [rugby league] football, now I want to play NFL football. I want to play American football'. For him to be able to achieve that and do what he is doing with the Niners now, I'd want to pass on some knowledge to him to let him know to be himself.

I'd tell him 'don't try to pressure the game, let the game come to you and have fun'. I'm happy for him and I want him to do well in the NFL. It's a big achievement for him. When there's a lot of eyes on you and a lot of pressure, most individuals try and do a little too much. What I see in him is that he has confidence, but he's not going to try to push the situation too much. He's just going to let the game come to him. If he was the MVP in Australia, he's accustomed to being on the big stage. It's the same thing in the NFL. I don't think he's going to be nervous or anything like that. He might have some butterflies but there's nothing wrong with that.

I always played my best football when I had butterflies. I always did because I loved the game. You can see the game in him, he's excited about the opportunity he has. It's all about representing Australia the right way. It was the same thing I wanted to do when I came to the NFL because I wanted to represent Mississippi the right way. You have to be confident, and not in a cocky way. Sometimes people look at confident as being cocky. I've been watching him on television and seeing his demeanour, I don't think he's cocky, he's just excited about his opportunity and he's going to take advantage of it. He's going to go out, he's going to play football and just enjoy the moment. Oh man, I'm excited. I can't wait to see him touch the football. It's a great accomplishment and I wish him the best.

I don't see this guy going backwards, I can only see him going forwards. Jerry Rice is a three-time Super Bowl winner with the San Francisco 49ers and a Hall of Famer. He holds more than 100 NFL records and in 2010 the NFL Network rated him as the greatest player of all time.