SAN JOSE, California: Jarryd Hayne is big and fast. That may seem like the most obvious sentence ever written, but it's that rare combination that allowed him to slide a foot into the door of the National Football League and it's what will keep evaluators interested in the former Rugby League star when he sputters and stumbles during his first season.

And there will be stumbles. They're inevitable for someone just starting out in America's favourite sport and doing so at the highest level possible. But Hayne has taken some smart initial steps as he jumps sports and continents.

Leap of faith: Jarryd Hayne faces a hard initiation with the San Francisco 49ers. Credit:Getty Images

First he chose the 49ers, whose first-year head coach, Jim Tomsula, is a veteran of NFL Europe, which once served as a developmental league for the NFL.

Tomsula made a name for himself working with men just like Hayne – players who had plenty of raw talent but very little experience in American football. He's patient and he knows how to teach.