Bulaga's a first-rounder, but where will he go?

IOWA CITY - The analysis is universal: former Iowa tackle Bryan Bulaga will be a first-round NFL draft pick on Thursday night.

But his first-round value has soared and drifted like a yo-yo. Before he declared for the NFL draft in January, Bulaga was considered the 27th best prospect by Scouts, Inc. Then in mid-February, Bulaga's stock soared.

NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock in March tapped Bulaga as the second-best tackle prospect behind Oklahoma State's Russell Okung and had Kansas City taking him at No. 5. But in the last few weeks, Mayock pushed Bulaga to No. 3 behind Okung and Oklahoma's Trent Williams. He still said Kansas City could take Bulaga at No. 5, in part because of Kansas City General Manager Scott Pioli's relationship with Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz.

“If you're looking at, for instance, left tackle, Trent Williams is a better athlete than Bryan Bulaga,” Mayock said. “Trent Williams tests better than Bryan Bulaga. Trent Williams has better upside than Bryan Bulaga. But I'm not sure who they will take.

“Because Bryan Bulaga is an Iowa kid that's been well-coached by Kirk Ferentz, and at this point Bulaga could play right tackle. He's going to be a solid pro, bottom line.”

Whether or not Kansas City pulls the trigger on Bulaga, the 6-foot-5, 314-pound tackle should find a home early in the first round. Several teams in the top 10 after Kansas City - Seattle, Cleveland, Oakland and Buffalo - also could use help along the offensive line. Teams outside the top 10 could trade up to pick him as well.

Either way, Bulaga is antsy for a chance to play at the next level. He left college after his junior year to pursue his dream and appears worn down by the constant pre-draft attention.

“This whole pre-draft thing is a whole another experience, and it's a long-drawn-out out process and (I'm ready) just to be able to kind of get it over with and start playing football again,” Bulaga told Gazette Communications last week. “It's going to be a relief because that's really what this whole thing is about, it's about playing football. It's not about getting drafted. It's about playing football.”

Bulaga, the 2009 Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, missed three games last fall because of a thyroid condition. He was sluggish in his initial return to Iowa, but returned to form by the end of the season.

Bulaga faced Georgia Tech defensive end Derrick Morgan - also considered a first-round pick - on multiple plays in the Orange Bowl. Bulaga more than held his own against Morgan, who was the ACC's defensive player of the year. Morgan totaled three tackles in the game.

“Bulaga is a tough, tough, throwback player,” said former Dallas Cowboys scout Gil Brandt. “He's a very, very competitive football player that's mean. He's a mean football player. I don't think you can go wrong by having a team full of Bulagas on there.”

Bulaga played multiple positions in Iowa's zone blocking scheme but was anchored at left tackle for the last two seasons. Among the top five tackle prospects, he posted the second-most bench presses (26) at the NFL Scouting Combine behind Okung (38). He ran a decent 40-yard dash time (5.26 seconds). But it's Bulaga's technique and pedigree that has scouts interested.

“He's going to be the guy who can come in with a short learning curve,” said Dan Shonka, general manager and national scout for Ourlads Scouting Services, LLC. “He understands what his responsibilities will be both in pass protection and run blocking. He keeps square to the line of scrimmage, and he can work the people up the field. He has all the nuances of pro offensive lineman because that's the way he's been taught.

“Other thing brings to the table, if he needs to he could play any of four positions in the front. He could play guard or tackle but when you're picking in the top 10, you're always going to be starting out at left tackle. They don't draft right tackles that high. I think he understands the game and his toughness will put him in a lot of people's ballpark.”

Bulaga likely will be Iowa's eighth first-round pick at offensive line and sixth since 1976. All but one were coached by Ferentz.