LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Unlike most draft picks who start their NFL careers in an unfamiliar city, Northern Illinois running back Garrett Wolfe is thrilled to be headed home.

The Chicago native, who grew up on the West Side and attended Holy Cross High School, was chosen by the Bears in the third round of the draft (93rd overall) Saturday with a pick obtained in a trade with the San Diego Chargers.

Garrett Wolfe led the nation in rushing with 1,928 yards and 18 touchdowns last season.

"I always wanted to come and play at home and was kind of hoping that it happened this way and I am glad that it just worked itself out," Wolfe said.

“The Bears are a great franchise and a great football team and me growing up in Chicago, I had the privilege to watch on a regular basis. I played high school football in this state, I played college football in this state and to be able to play professional football in this state is something that I could have never (imagined).

“Things work out in weird ways, but I am glad for this opportunity and I plan to make the most of it.”

Wolfe was ultra-productive in college, finishing his career fourth in NCAA Division I-A history in yards per game (156.5) while setting NIU’s all-time rushing record with 5,164 yards.

The 5-7, 186-pounder possesses excellent speed, balance and body control, but he lacks size and had some durability issues at Northern Illinois, though he did start all 13 games last season.

As a senior, Wolfe led the nation in rushing and all-purpose yardage and was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year. He ran for 1,928 yards and 18 touchdowns on 309 carries and caught 28 passes for 249 yards and 1 TD.

“It was his all-around game,” said Bears director of college scouting Greg Gabriel. “He’s a change-of-pace back for us; we were looking for that. He was the guy we really aimed at going into today. We were just hoping he’d be there for us in this round because that’s what we had planned to do.”

Impressed with Wolfe’s overall production and his performance against top competition, the Bears targeted the former Northern Illinois star in the third round after he wowed them during a workout a few of weeks ago at Halas Hall.

“He had an outstanding workout,” Gabriel said. “He caught everything. (Running backs coach Tim Spencer) was throwing the balls, and he doesn’t throw great passes, but the ball never touched the ground. It was a great, great workout.”

“The workout went very well,” Wolfe said. “I was able to do a multitude of things. I was able to play a little of the slot wide receiver as well as running back. They just wanted to see how quick I was firsthand and see how well I could catch the ball and move around. I just tried to show them to the best of  my ability what I could do.”

Wolfe will join Cedric Benson and Adrian Peterson in the Bears backfield. The Chicago native also projects as a return specialist in the NFL, but he obviously won’t unseat All-Pro Devin Hester.

“Hester’s the guy,” Gabriel said. “You’ve always got to prepare for injuries, but the reason we took him wasn’t necessarily for returns. It’s because we wanted another good back in the system.”

Wolfe had to prove that he was an every-down back at Northern and intends to do the same thing in the NFL in time. But he knows that he’s entering the league as a complementary player.

“I have always thought that I could do anything that I put my mind to,” Wolfe said. “I don’t let anyone put a limit on my ability. With being an every-down back, I just have to wait for that opportunity to happen.

“I am going to go out there and compete every day like it’s my last and continue to work hard at the things that have gotten me to this point. But that is not a concern of mine right now. The concern of mine is to win more football games, which is going to be hard with how many they won last year.”