Jarryd Hayne fronts the media. Source: Twitter

The former Parramatta Eels rugby league star has been training at the 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium since April 7 and on Thursday morning gave his press conference to a large media contingent at the ground.

Hayne revealed he had been rising at 6am and often going to sleep after midnight, trying to cram in both the physical training and the study needed to make his NFL dream reality.

NRL/NFL: Jarryd Hayne's San Francisco 49ers teammate Carlos Hyde has revealed that the former NRL star uses a cheat sheet during training.

He did not elaborate on what he thought his chances might be of actually cracking the 49ers’ final 53-man roster for this season, but admitted he still has “a long road to travel”.

Here’s what he said about key part of his move to the NFL.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS BOSS BREAKS DOWN JARRYD HAYNE

HAYNE BRACES FOR 49ERS’ NFL DRAFT OUTCOME

HOW HE IS DEALING WITH A STEEP LEARNING CURVE

“I don’t put any limits on what I can do,” Hayne said.

“I’m learning and I feel like I’m getting better every day.

“I’m just taking my time, making sure I get what the coaches are teaching me right.

“I’m learning from the bottom again. I think that’s one of the, I guess, influences on me coming over, the new challenge.

“Everyone’s good and you have to realise everyone is trying to make the roster.

Jarryd Hayne #38 of the San Francisco 49ers participates in practice drills Source: Getty Images

“We’ve got maybe 50 per cent of the boys guaranteed a spot, and the rest are still chipping away, looking to make the squad. Part of this experience was that humbling of myself.

“It’s been, obviously, a huge learning experience. Every day there’s more plays coming that I have to know.”

Hayne said he had expected American footballers to be big - but perhaps not so fast.

“The d-line and o-line I think are probably the biggest difference in how big they are,” he said when asked to compare to rugby league.

“I didn’t realise how agile and how quick some of them are watching from video. I see Joe Staley shooting out of left tackle... they really move.”

BEING AWAY FROM AUSTRALIA AND HIS FAMILY

While Hayne drew a significant crowd of both Australian and US media to today’s press conference, he said he was enjoying working towards his goals largely out of the spotlight, rather than the fishbowl existence he lived as an NRL superstar and twice Dally M Medallist.

“I feel really good not being in the spotlight,” he said.

Hayne said the recent cyclone-level storms in Sydney had brought on a rare pang of homesickness, something that has not bothered him unduly.

Jarryd Hayne #38 of the San Francisco 49ers goes through practice drills Source: Getty Images

“The only time I get homesick or sad is when something happens in Australia like the storms,” he said.

“It’s not so much I want to go home. But I do miss it and want to be around family. It’s been a great journey and I still have a long way to go. I look forward to the challenges.”

Hayne said America’s weak coffee had provided a challenge in itself.

“If I have a chance to go back, I’m gonna bring an espresso machine or something and bring back some real coffee,” he said.

WHAT HIS TEAMMATES HAVE BEEN INTERESTED IN

Hayne’s Australian background has been of interest to teammates, with some predictably hilarious questions.

“What are the deadliest animals in Australia, and if we play the All Blacks,” Hayne said.

“I say it’s only in the bushland. You’re not going to be in the hotel and snakes are going to come through. Being from Australia, there’s a misconception.”

Hayne has been given strong backing to succeed in the NFL, with superstar quarterback Colin Kaepernick, veteran running back Reggie Bush, 49ers coach Jim Tomsula and San Francisco GM Trent Baalke emphatic in their praise of his athleticism.

WHAT HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT HAYNE SO FAR BY THE 49ERS

Trent Baalke, general manager

“Jarryd, you know, we’ll see. That’s going to be a work in progress. But as an athlete, very talented,” Baalke told the San Jose Mercury News.

“All you have to do is pull up the YouTube videos and watch some of the stuff he does athletically. Now, can he go on a NFL field and learn the pass protections? He can catch a football as well as most people we’ve seen do it their whole lives, because that’s the game over there. He can field punts extremely well. He can certainly field kickoffs. And he can run down and cover people on the coverage teams.

“How quickly he can transfer those physical skills into the game of football, we’re going to find out.”

Jarryd Hayne powers through a pre-season drill with the 49ers. Source: Supplied

Jim Tomsula, 49ers head coach

“The other thing that gets me too, that excites me, he is ‘the guy’ in Australia. Lawrence (Okoye) was ‘the guy’ in England. You were all huddled around a table to talk to them.

“They were the best at what they were doing and in both situations they walk away from that to start something new, to start at the bottom. That hits me. That’s something different about who you are and your make up.

“There’s a lot of courage involved right there - or you’re flat nuts. Either way, that could work for us, right?

“He’s playing a position that’s not like anything else he’s done. Everything is completely brand new. That’s a hard transition.

“When you get to a guy playing rugby and his skillset is as a running back - that’s where we’ll start him, I’m not going to tell you that’s where he’ll end - you’ve got a guy who’s used to being down field catching a ball with people running at him.

“You’ve got a guy who’s used to making tackles in open spaces. You’ve got a guy who’s used to catching the ball, carrying the ball, being in open space and avoiding. Obviously with the explosive qualities that he has, you can’t help but be excited.”

Jarryd Hayne says he feels up to speed with the fitness of his NFL teammates. Source: Supplied

Reggie Bush, 49ers running back

“I’m sure he’ll make it, I don’t think there’s any doubt in anybody’s mind he’ll make the roster. He has all the talents and athleticism to be able to play in this league and to be able to play at a high level in this league.

“I think making the team is actually the least of his worries.

“I got a chance to meet Jarryd back in Australia and I spoke to him a little bit and we talked about making the change over to making the NFL.

“He has all the athleticism and the talent to be able to make it over in this league so it was just a matter of if he was going to take that chance and he did and now we’re teammates. I’m looking forward to working with him and I think he’s going to be a great addition to the 49ers.

“I think he’s going to bring a lot to the team and enjoy the process and enjoy the transition into the NFL. Everything that he did to be a great player in Australia (he needs to) continue to do here.

“Continue to be the superstar that he is and all the chips will fall into place. He has a good head on his shoulders, he seems like he has a great character and personality, I think he’ll do fine.”

Colin Kaepernick, 49ers quarterback

“Phenomenal athlete. Just a natural. Since the day I met him, since every workout he’s been at, he’s going to give you everything he has. And it doesn’t seem like there’s going to be much of a learning curve for him.

“This is going to be a football player. He does a lot of things very well and it’s going to be our job to be able to utilise him and put him in position to allow him to make plays and use that athleticism.”

Relive our coverage of Hayne’s media conference.