Jarryd Hayne is aware he is far from the finished product but the San Francisco 49ers rookie is confident he can crack the NFL after impressing on debut.

Hayne - signed to a three-year futures deal in October - staked his claim for a spot on the 49ers roster with a strong display in Saturday's 23-10 pre-season defeat to the Houston Texans.

The former rugby league star - part of the special teams - peeled off a 53-yard run, along with 11-yard and 13-yard punt returns in Houston.

Hayne led all rushers with 63 yards on five carries, while he also tallied two returns for 24 yards.

The 27-year-old fronted the media on Thursday and said:  "Obviously, I'm far away from being a crisp running back.

"Returning punts and kick-offs is the thing that I'm most natural at but I've got to work on my whole game.

"From the way I run routes, to how I handle the ball, to picking up blitzes — there's a whole bunch of things I need to get used to and get better at.

"I was always confident. For me, I didn't need a play to have that confidence."