One man’s journey began on the streets of Chicago.

The other’s started along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Manitowoc, Wis.

Eventually, Garrett Wolfe and Doug Free’s paths would cross at NIU. But their travels along the glory roads of football have not come to an end just yet, as each one has paved their way to this weekend’s NFL Draft at 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPN.

In the beginning, the 5-foot-7 Wolfe waited for his chance while former running back Michael Turner brought the Huskies into the national spotlight.

Meanwhile, Free was continually badgered about adding weight to a freakishly-athletic 6-foot-5, 255-pound body frame.

Now five seasons later, their time at NIU has not only placed them among college football’s finest but ingrained them within its elite.

“I’ve chatted with each player occasionally,” NIU coach Joe Novak said. “It’s an anxious time because in two days they could end up anywhere from Bangor, Maine to Tijuana, Mexico.”

But mainly they just want to end up on a NFL team.

Wolfe began his draft preparation after Christmas by heading for Houston, Texas to train and make sure he ate right. And since he’s been back on campus, Wolfe has stuck to his guns, lifting the same weights at Huskie Stadium that got him to where he is.

“I’m not really anxious about the draft so much as where I’m going to end up competing,” Wolfe said. “You hear different things, but the fact is none of these experts are in the draft room. There’s no telling how it will happen.”

Wolfe said he’s been contacted by more than 30 teams, but is not allowed to say which ones. In retrospect, his name will fall among those of Oklahoma’s Adrian Peterson, California’s Marshawn Lynch, Auburn’s Kenny Irons and Louisville’s Michael Bush.

And in a teleconference open to national media, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said as many as nine running backs could go in the first three rounds.

But unlike when Wolfe entered the college ranks, the Holy Cross product holds the advantage of having gained the most rushing yards out of any back on the draft board.

Then again, Novak and Wolfe said his ability to field kicks and punts in the NFL will set him apart from the masses.

“The more you do, the harder it is for a team to cut you,” Wolfe said. “If that’s what it takes to get on the roster, then I’ll do it. My main thing is just getting the ball and making something happen.”

As for Free, Novak believes his former offensive hog must continue the process of getting stronger, more physical and preparing for the faster pace of the NFL.

The 6-foot-7 “freak,” as he has been nicknamed, spent three months working out at D1, a sports-specific training facility in Nashville, Tenn.

Free worked out five to six hours a day, six days a week, in preparation for the NFL combine in Indianapolis and NIU’s Draft Day.

But all his hard work has left analysts and projection boards in a flurry, as no one has agreed on where Free may end up.

Scout.com lists Free at No. 128, a pick owned by Tennessee, while NFLDraftScout.com has Free rated as the 69th-best player in the draft and the No. 5 offensive tackle.

Interestingly enough, Kiper said there are a lot of questions about the first four offensive tackles that will be taken off the draft board, though he did not mention any names. But couple that with Kiper saying Free “has a chance to be a first or second rounder” and things could get interesting on the first day of the draft for this Huskie.

Free said he was contacted by multiple NFL teams, and believes being selected within the first three rounds on the first day is a possibility.

“The main thing is to go to the NFL,” Free said. “Going high in the draft doesn’t mean you’ll have a successful 10-year career. I want to prove that just because I’m from NIU doesn’t mean I can’t play at the next level.”