Julian Edelman, warming up before the AFC Championship Game. Jim Rogash / Getty Images

The article below originally appeared on SFGate.com and is being reprinted with permission.

Indianapolis —

Patriots defensive back Julian Edelman, a Woodside High and College of San Mateo alum, has been the object of New York Giants receivers’ fancy this week leading up to the Super Bowl.

Can you blame them?

“Any time you look at a defense and you see a receiver playing defensive back, you automatically open your eyes and want to exploit those matchups,” said New York’s Victor Cruz.

Like Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham, the Giants’ other frontline wide receiver, who caught 82 passes for 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns this season, is hoping to feast on the Patriots’ heavily maligned secondary in Super Bowl XLVI.

And Edelman is an easy target. The 2009 seventh-rounder played quarterback at Woodside, San Mateo and Kent State (where he also occasionally punted) before being converted to receiver and special-teams player by the Patriots. Midway through this season, injuries forced him to add the latest position to his repertoire: cornerback.

“I was cool with it,” Edelman told the New York Times of the switch. “They just said, ‘You’re in defensive meetings today.’ That’s all they say. That’s how it is around here. But I enjoy playing football, and anytime you can contribute to the team – that’s what you’re here for. That’s what I like doing.”

The position stuck, not that his duties elsewhere were forgotten. According to ESPN, during the Patriots’ AFC Championship Game win over the Ravens, Edelman played 27 snaps on offense and 27 on defense.

Strategically, it makes sense that quarterback Eli Manning and the Giants will come out passing and try to attack the Patriots down the field. New England finished 31st in defense (428 yards), including 31st against the pass (293.9).

“We know he’s a great player, but he plays wide receiver,” Manningham said. “He’s not a real defensive back. I hope he’s out there.”

But Edelman offers a word of caution when asked about offenses going after him.

“I don’t think I’ve had that many balls caught on me,” Edelman said. “Not to say that I’ve been doing such a great job, but the coaches have done a great job of helping me out with the scheme and preparing me each week on what I have to focus on, instead of focusing on the big picture of the defense.”

For his part, that means double duty in team meetings.

“Depending on my role in the situation of each game, sometimes I have to be in the offensive meetings, and sometimes I have to be in the defensive” meetings, he said. “I don’t try to flood my mind with all of the techniques and everything, because that will just slow you down and not let you react.”

Edelman was asked what his response would have been before the season if someone told him he’d be playing receiver and defensive back in the Super Bowl.

“I would have said, ‘I haven’t played that position,’ ” he said. “It has definitely been a crazy road.

“As a team, we had to overcome injuries. As an individual, I’ve had to overcome a bunch of stuff. It’s definitely very exciting to be in this situation and to have this opportunity to play on the biggest stage in the world.”