Marc Edwards' smile was as nearly as wide as the bill on his new San Francisco 49ers cap.
Edwards, a Norwood High graduate late of Notre Dame, was selected Saturday in the second round of the NFL draft by 49ers.
''I couldn't have drawn it up any better,'' Edwards said. ''It's an ideal situation. They're a perennial Super Bowl contender. They're in the playoffs every year. You know you're going to get a (Super Bowl) run eventually. Maybe next year.
''I'm really excited ... I'm looking forward to getting started.''
Edwards, a 6-foot, 237-pounder, will be working for his boyhood hero, Tom Rathman, a former 49er fullback now the team's running back coach.
''I'm very familiar with him,'' Edwards said. ''I always liked his style.''
Edwards spent draft day at the Montgomery Inn Boathouse restaurant. Just before Edwards was picked, ESPN2 went out at the restaurant. As they scrambled to get it fixed, Edwards got a call. It was Vinny Cerrato, the 49ers director of player personnel.
''He said, 'We just picked you,' '' Edwards said. ''I couldn't have been happier.''
Edwards was the 55th pick overall and the first fullback taken in the draft. He knew there would be a good chance that he would end up in San Francisco.
''They talked to me a lot at the combine,'' he said. ''Then Vinny Cerrato made a special visit. He told me they were going to take a fullback. It was a matter of when and where.''
The 49ers showed how badly they wanted Edwards by trading up to get him.
They were worried Carolina would take Edwards with the 56th pick. So they traded their second-round choice (No. 57) along with their sixth- and seventh-round choices for the Eagles' second-rounder.
''We did what we had to do to get him,'' 49ers coach Steve Mariucci said. ''He's a fullback who can do it all, run, catch and block.''
Edwards' hands make him a good fit for the 49ers' offense. ''I'll fit in well there,'' he said. ''I'll do whatever I can to help them win - special teams, anything.''
Edwards tore cartilage in his left knee in November, but he erased any doubts by running a 4.69 40 at the scouting combine in February.
''I thought I'd go from mid-second round to the mid-third round,'' he said. ''It was a long day - waiting. But it couldn't have turned out better.''
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