Indy trip all 'business' for Marian grad Bulaga

When Marian Central grad Bryan Bulaga left Phoenix Tuesday for a trip to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, he also left something else behind -- his favorite video game, Call of Duty.

"This is a business trip," said Bulaga, the Big Ten Conference's Offensive Lineman of the Year as a junior left tackle at Iowa during the fall. "This isn't a vacation. I'm going to turn my phone off for a few days, too."

Bulaga told the Northwest Herald this week that he is all business when it comes to his scheduled workout Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium with the NFL's top offensive line prospects. 

Bulaga's draft status has been gaining more attention of late. 

He is ranked as the No. 2 offensive tackle by NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock, who said in a video posted online that four of the top nine teams in the draft's first round are in need of offensive tackles. Mayock suggested his top-ranked tackle, Oklahoma State senior Russell Okung, and Bulaga could both be selected in the top five picks.

Mayock praised Bulaga by calling him "technically efficient," but also said Bulaga's arm length could be a drawback for a left tackle in the NFL. 

"There are always going to be misconceptions," Bulaga said. "I always thought my arms were too long when I was bench pressing."

Mayock said he would like to see Bulaga's arms measure more than 33 inches.

On Thursday, when the offensive line prospects were weighed and measured in Indianapolis, Bulaga's arm length was recorded at 33 1/4 inches. He was measured at 6 feet, 5 3/8 inches and weighed 314 pounds. During the season, he was listed at 312 pounds.

The NFL Network will broadcast workouts daily at 10 a.m. beginning Saturday with Bulaga and the offensive linemen and running through Tuesday. 

Three groups of prospects will work out Saturday and are grouped alphabetically. Bulaga was assigned No. 6.

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.