The San Francisco 49ers chose Sopoaga with the eighth pick of the fourth round, the 104th overall selection in the two-day, seven-round NFL draft.

"Yesterday was kind of a hard day," said Sopoaga, whose name was not called in Saturday's first day of the draft, "but in my heart, I knew this would be the day."

Sopoaga, who was raised in American Samoa, said San Francisco is within easy reach for relatives living in Utah and Washington.

"I'm very happy," he said.

Former UH player Jesse Sapolu, the 49ers' alumni coordinator, lobbied to draft Sopoaga. The 49ers traded fourth- and fifth-round picks to Chicago to move up eight places to select Sopoaga.

"This is a great day for San Francisco," Sapolu said.

Sopoaga is expected to compete at nose guard in the 49ers' new 3-4 defensive alignment.