The San Francisco 49ers are using Jarryd Hayne on punt returns, but they don't believe his skills translate as well on kickoffs.

“Punt return and kickoff return are two different skillsets,” 49ers special-teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey said on Wednesday. “It’s kind of like (how) you look at a running back. Some running backs are really good at running inside zone or an (isolation) running power. And some running backs are really good on the outsize zone and toss sweeps.

“So it’s kind of two different skillsets. Not to say that Jarryd can’t do it, but that’s not his strong suit.”

Colin Kaepernick has found a sense of comfort this season playing for Jim Tomsula, who replaced Jim Harbaugh in the offseason.

"I would say the biggest thing is I'm being asked to be myself this year," Kaepernick said. "And I don't think anyone knows how to be myself better than me. So it's a comfort zone for me. It's a situation where I'm not being asked to do things outside of my character."

Kaepernick was then asked whether he was talking specifically about being in the pocket more or being told to not go outside the pocket.

"No," Kaepernick said. "I'm getting at that I was asked to do things outside of my character."

Jim Tomsula had confidence Colin Kaepernick wasn't a broken quarterback when he was hired as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.

"I don't think we had something that was broke," Tomsula said. "He's a very talented athlete. He's a very talented quarterback. We always want to compare -- this guy's Danny Marino, this guy's Terry Bradshaw -- Colin Kaepernick is just Colin Kaepernick.

"He's got a skill set, we just want to utilize his skill set."

Kaepernick completed 17-of-26 passes for 165 yards and rushed for 41 rushing yards in Monday's 20-3 win over Minnesota on Monday. More importantly, Kaepernick looked poised and patient, throwing first instead of his past tendency to take off.

Tomsula made a point to commend Kaepernick's intelligence.

"He's a really smart guy, by the way," Tomsula said. "He was an AP student in high school, very smart, and really impressive that way in meeting rooms."

Aldon Smith has signed with the Oakland Raiders on a one-year deal.

Smith was released by the San Francisco 49ers during camp following his arrest on high-and-run, DUI and vandalism charges.

Despite his off-the-field issues, Smith will be eligible to play Sunday, league sources tell ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Raiders will consider playing Smith, depending on his conditioning.

The Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and St. Louis Rams also had interest in Smith, while the 49ers were even open to bringing him back.

The San Francisco 49ers have kept Jarryd Hayne for their 53-man roster.

Hayne was one of the biggest stars of the Australian rugby league.

Hayne might be on the roster because of his performance in Week 2 of the preseason -- he rushed for 54 yards on eight carries and returned three punts for 84 yards against the Dallas Cowboys.

Hayne's preseason total of 175 rushing yards on 25 carries was second in the NFL, behind the Detroit Lions' Zach Zenner. His 7.0 yards per carry led the league, and his 163 yards on 10 punt returns ranked third.