LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Teammates at Northwestern the past four seasons, quarterback C.J. Bacher and receiver Eric Peterman are chasing their NFL dream together just up the road from Evanston.

The two former Wildcats are participating in this weekend’s Bears rookie minicamp at Halas Hall, Peterman as an undrafted free agent and Bacher on a tryout basis.

Former Northwestern quarterback C.J. Bacher throws a pass during a drill at Bears rookie minicamp in Lake Forest.

“It’s definitely a great opportunity, and it’s right in Northwestern’s backyard, so I’m happy to be here trying to make the team,” said Bacher, a Sacramento, Calif., native.

“I’ve been a Bears fan my whole life,” said Peterman, who grew up in central Illinois. “I’m excited to be here. It’s a fun atmosphere, and I’m having a great time enjoying the moment.”

Bacher started 28 games at Northwestern, where the 6-2, 205-pounder ranks second on the school’s all-time passing list with 664 completions, and third with 7,319 yards and 43 touchdowns.

Peterman played in 49 games with 28 starts for the Wildcats. He ranks fourth on Northwestern’s all-time receiving list with 2,011 yards and seventh with 160 receptions. He caught at least one pass in his final 29 games and also excelled as a gunner on special teams.

The two connected on a regular basis in college, once in an unconventional manner at Duke when Peterman took a handoff from Bacher and completed a 25-yard pass back to the quarterback.

“I’ve been working out with C.J. for a while now since our bowl game, throwing routes and stuff, so we’re very comfortable with each other,” Peterman said. “We’ve been playing with each other for four years. It’s great to have a guy like that out here.”

While most of the Bears rookies dealt with flight delays trying to get to Halas Hall on a rainy and foggy Thursday in Chicago, the two Northwestern players had a much easier commute.

“It’s very convenient for me,” Peterman said. “I had mid-terms before I came up here, so I had to get some of them moved to earlier in the day. I’m still trying to finish up school and do those things and it just makes it real convenient that I don’t have to fly halfway across the country.”

Bears coach Lovie Smith was pleased with how the two former Wildcats performed Friday in the first of three non-contact practices this weekend.

“They did some good things,” Smith said. “They’re good players. Of course, I had a chance to see them, being local guys here. C.J. is also good friends with one of my sons. They’ve had success. They’re good players and [we’ll] just let them do their thing this weekend.”

Easing into it: The Bears conduct a rookies-only minicamp to allow players such as Bacher and Peterman to make a smoother transition into the NFL, rather than jumping in the first day with veterans.

“I’ve been places where we brought all the guys in at the same time,” Smith said. “It seems like [the rookies] never catch up. They have some of the same questions, some of the same concerns, and there are a lot of concerns right now. But they see that the guy next to them is going through some of the same things. You have to have a starting spot for them.”

Nine draft picks, nine undrafted free agents and 25 tryout players are participating in this weekend’s minicamp. Safeties Brandon McGowan and Cameron Worrell both made the Bears’ 53-man roster after impressing during minicamp tryouts. Last year punter Zacrey Atterberry, defensive end Gerard Lee, guard Ryan Poles and tight end Marcus Stone all were signed after trying out at minicamp.

“We have a history to say everybody has an opportunity,” Smith said. “We tried to let the players know that. They all start from scratch. We’re looking at them, and if there’s a guy that we think can help us win, he’ll be on the team.”

On the move: Seventh-round draft pick Lance Louis played tight end, guard and tackle at San Diego State, and it’s still not clear which position the 6-3, 300-pounder will call home in the NFL.

It was initially thought that Louis was drafted as a tight end. But he was listed on the Bears minicamp roster as a guard, and he worked at both tackle and guard in his first practice Friday.

“I’m whatever will help the team,” Louis said. “Wherever they need me to play, I’ll play it. I’m not complaining. It’s just wherever the team needs me.”

No bull: Smith praised the Chicago Bulls for their thrilling triple-overtime playoff win over the Boston Celtics Thursday night and said he intends to watch Game 7 Saturday night.

“I’m a big basketball fan and a Chicago fan too,” said the Bears coach. “It’s great to see what they’re doing. We talk about playing hard, about finishing, and you saw a lot of guys stepping up. They were playing the same way at the end of the game as the way they started. I can’t wait for [Game 7]. There’s a lot of excitement.”