Jarryd Hayne Star in the NFL!

The NRL was shocked by the announcement today that Parramatta Eels, New South Wales and Fijian rugby league star, Jarryd Hayne was set to quit the Eels and rugby league.

The reason?

To have a go at the NFL.

It's one of the odder reasons for departure and the discussions and shocks are set to reverberate for a couple of weeks yet. But once the dust settles, the one lingering question will be - can Jarryd Hayne be a success in the NFL?

At 26, in terms of age, Hayne is sort of in the middle of the spectrum of NFL players. However, take out quarterbacks like the evergreen, in-their-late-30s Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, and you'll find that Jarryd Hayne is a bit old to be making his NFL debut.

Indeed, in the running back position which Hayne is aiming for, he is a bit older than rising stars like Trent Richardson (23). Hayne is 2 years older than the controversial but talented Adrian Peterson (29) and Chris Johnson (29).

Jarryd Hayne does have talent with his feet as well as power in his running - however, being a running back in the NFL really requires power in running. Not only that, running backs take a heck of a pounding from defensive lines - much more than in league - and don't often last that long - although if Jarryd is after a short stint in the NFL, that might suit him.

Alternative positions? Perhaps a wide receiver but Hayne doesn't really have the height to compete even if he is fairly solid in the air. Mind you, Danny Woodhead, Julian Edelman, Eric Decker and Wes Welker are one of the smallest players in the league and they've done quite well at wide receiver.

However, the biggest problem with Jarryd is that NFL teams are 99 times out of 100 more likely to prefer college football players or established NFL players with the odd player from AFL or rugby picked up in the last 10 years - but they're as rare as a blue moon.

Even with the long pre-season campaign of training and learning the rules, it doesn't mean you're guaranteed a spot on the team. Go ask Tim Tebow.

Heck, if even a former Heisman Trophy (College Football MVP) like Tebow can't get into any of the 32 NFL franchises, what chance does a nobody in America like Jarryd Hayne have?

I guess the fact that Hayne would be considered a free agent and have a low price tag means that he is quite dispensible to teams - contrast that to college players in the draft who have a price tag attached to them and the value is dependent on where they end up in the draft.

To be honest, a spot in the special teams might be considered a success for Hayne - special teams are so integral to the NFL nowadays as we've seen with the Seahawks, with the success of kickoff/punt returners like Devin Hester and Patrick Peterson.

Jarryd Hayne looks like he might be aiming for a spot in the Seattle Seahawks, the current Super Bowl champions. He could not have picked a better side - coach Pete Carroll has moulded the best football team in the country with a mean defence and brutal offence.

Russell Wilson to... Jarryd Hayne?

Jarryd Hayne rotating with Marshawn Lynch and working with Russell Wilson? It's not as far fetched as you might believe!