Draft bonanza

The NFL draft begins Thursday and the Hawkeyes are poised to make some noise.

Offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga has been invited to New York for the first round, which is on ESPN primetime Thursday night. Linebackers Pat Angerer and A.J. Edds, tight end Tony Moeaki, cornerback Amari Spievey and offensive tackle Kyle Calloway are projected in the later rounds. Offensive lineman Dace Richardson attended the NFL combine and could also have his name called sometime during the three-day event.

During the Ferentz era, the highest number of Hawkeyes taken in a draft has been five. In 2003, ‘04 and ‘05, Iowa had five players taken. Last April, four Iowa players had their names called.

Is that a big deal for a program?

“NFL success, to me, is just a nice byproduct of what happens when guys are in college,” Ferentz said. “The most important thing is getting their degrees. That's going to be there when they're my age (54).”

But it doesn't hurt to have the NFL carrot at the end of the stick, no matter how small the percentage of players who actually do make it.

“We want to coach guys who want to play in the NFL,” Ferentz said. “They'll work hard and do the things necessary to try to be the best in college. That's really how you get to the NFL, you have to distinguish yourself as a college player.”

Scott Dochterman will be covering the draft throughout the week.