Hayne backs NRL duo to succeed in NFL

Jarryd Hayne thinks he knows enough about NFL to predict that Jason Taumalolo and Valentine Holmes will make it in the United States.

NRL players Valentine Holmes and Jason Taumalolo (right) speak to reporters in Los Angeles. Picture: MITCHELL PETER

RUGBY LEAGUE: Jarryd Hayne thinks he knows enough about NFL to predict that Jason Taumalolo and Valentine Holmes will make it in the United States.

Hayne, who played eight games with the San Francisco 49ers, says the pair have youth on their side.

Holmes, 21, and Taumalolo, 23, are several years younger than Hayne was when he tried to crack the NFL at 26.

"They've definitely got age on their side,” Hayne told Fox Sports News.

"Being 21, most guys come out of the draft 22, 23, so they've definitely got a lot of years under their belt if they want to pursue it.

"Age is a good thing for them.

"The playbook is probably the hardest thing, not so much the skill and the talent because they've got that. They're keen to do it and I wish them all the best.”

Taumalolo and Holmes were put through their paces at a Los Angeles workout on Saturday, with both drawing positive reviews and at least four NFL teams expressing interest in taking a second look at the NRL young guns.

Scouts from the Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals appear to be the most interested, lingering after the two-hour workout for extra fact-finding.

While both players are contracted to their respective NRL clubs - Taumalolo with the Cowboys and Holmes with the Sharks - for 2017, both have expressed their desire to follow through with an NFL deal if they get that far.

Originally published as Hayne backs NRL duo to succeed in NFL