Aussie rugby leaguer Hayne looks like Lion rusher

Australian Rugby League standout Jarryd Hayne could be taking his talents to the National Football League's Detroit Lions, with reports saying he will sign with the US club this week. From the NFL's website to the Mlive site for a Michigan regional newspaper group on Tuesday, reports said the 27-year-old Parramatta Eels playmaker will join the Lions as a running back and potentially a kick returner as well. Hayne, who shared National Rugby League Player of the Year honors this season with Johnathan Thurston of the North Queensland Cowboys, said last October he would leave rugby league to pursue an NFL career. Hayne performed last December for scouts from about half the teams in the NFL and his hand-held 4.5-second clocking for the 40-yard dash would have placed him among the top 10 in the unofficial rankings at the recent NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "my 4.5 on my pro day puts me in the mix," Hayne said in a Twitter posting. The Mlive report said Hayne had chosen the Lions over such other interested teams as the 2014 Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers. Hayne, likely a tailback rather than a fullback, could help a team that was fifth-worst in the NFL in rushing last season with Joique Bell and Reggie Bush as running backs. The Lions have tried rugby talent before, signing US Rugby Sevens speedster Carlin Isles to the practice squad, but he never made the final roster before returning to rugby.