Bulaga handling NFL hype calmly

It started with a trickle.

In a live chat last spring, ESPN's NFL draft expert Mel Kiper named Bryan Bulaga as a high pick in the 2010 draft. Then, SI.com NFL writer Andrew Perloff predicted Bulaga would be drafted No. 11 overall next April by the Buffalo Bills. And then just last week, the National Football Post's Wes Bunting, the Web site's director of college scouting wrote:

“There isn't much to not like about his game; he's an athletic pass blocker with good feet and knows how to move defenders off the ball in the run game. Is as technically sound as any lineman I've seen this year and would be my first choice of any offensive tackle in the country.”

This is all projection, of course, but that's an awful lot of projection for the Iowa offensive tackle.

No one has called a timeout on this, but Bulaga is only a 20-year-old junior. Yes, this will be his third season as a starter but only his second at left tackle, the premier position on the offensive line according to NFL signing bonuses.

Bulaga's clock is set in the real world, on the now.

“I'm looking at the season right now, that's the only thing that's on my mind,” the Crystal Lake, Ill., native said. “Whatever comes out is going to come out.”

His mind is set on the season and ...

“I just want to win a Big Ten championship,” he said. “I want to help my team win a Big Ten championship.”

Iowa-ISU on ImOn

Iowa-ISU on ImOn

ImOn Communications has added Comcast Sports Net Plus to its channel lineup, meaning it will show the Iowa at Iowa State football game on Sept. 12 at 11 a.m.

During Coach Kirk Ferentz's 11 seasons at Iowa, two Hawkeyes have left with a year of eligibility remaining, tight end Dallas Clark and running back Shonn Greene. In both cases, they would have been 24 if they'd stayed.

Bulaga will be of legal age in March.

“He may have a decision. We'll see,” Ferentz said. “It's really putting the cart in front of the horse. He may have a decision to make in the out-of-season. That's the time to really address it. It's like anything else, I'm going to support whatever is best for any of our players and their futures. Hopefully, the family will be involved.”

Bulaga won't allow himself to day dream about NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell handing him a Bills' ball cap.

“The great thing about him is he comes to work every day. He has a plan. He knows what he's going to do,” Iowa O-line coach Reese Morgan said. “I don't know this for fact, but I would imagine he went in after practice and watched tape. I'm sure he's watched it by now. He's got his checklist and his notebook going. That's really what all of our good players have done.”

This was media day and the first day of fall camp. Yes, Bulaga had already digested that morning's video of practice.

One sign that the NFL might be at least in the back of his mind is the fact that Bulaga and his family are “leaning toward” the insurance program (Exceptional Student-Athlete Disability Insurance) offered by the NCAA. According to Jeff Stanley of Houston Casualty Company, which administers the program, it has been around for about 20 years and includes 100 to 150 athletes a year. An NCAA football player has to project - the NCAA and HCC conduct confidential evaluations - into the top three rounds of the draft to be eligible. The student is issued a loan and must repay it when eligibility is up.

The insurance is invididualized and can cover as much as $5 million for football. Premiums cost around $10,000 per $1 million insured, Stanley said.

“Yeah, it's a little bit expensive, but I think it's well worth it,” Bulaga said. “Even going out there, I'm not too worried about injuries. I'm still going to go out there, if I had it or not, and go 110 percent no matter what.”

Iowa's offensive line at a glance

Iowa's offensive line at a glance

Starters: Tackles: Bryan Bulaga, Jr, 6-6, 315 (second team all-Big Ten by coaches last season, third year as starter, preseason All-American); Kyle Calloway, sr., 6-7, 320 (second team all-Big Ten by league media last season, third year as starter, faces 1-game suspension). Guards: Julian Vandervelde, Jr, 6-3, 300 (academic all-Big Ten, third year as at least co-starter), Dan Doering, sr., 6-6, 300 (missed much of 2008 after suffering broken wrist in camp). Center: Rafael Eubanks, sr., 6-3, 280 (25 career starts, No. 2 center most of last season).

Others in the mix: Dace Richardson, sr., 6-6, 305 (has played one game in two years due to knee, guard or tackle); Riley Reiff, red-shirt fr., 6-6, 280 (started career as D-end); Josh Koeppel, Jr, 6-2, 267 (could be 1A at center); Adam Gettis, so., 6-4, 280 (saw time with first unit late in camp); James Ferentz, red-shirt fr., 6-2, 265

In the know: Who starts still is way, way up in the air at both guard spots and, for the first game, right tackle. Vandervelde could miss two games while still rehabbing from early summer biceps surgery. Calloway will miss the opener and also has been struggling with an IT band strain. Richardson, coming back after missing two years and undergoing knee realignment, becomes a key swing guy for the first three games. Center is 1a and 1b with Eubanks and Koeppel. Gettis and Reiff have switched in and out at one guard spot on the first team throughout camp.

Bowling if ... This unit finds a measure of cohesion and finds it fast. The positive is a lot of players with little game experience saw first-team reps throughout camp. On the negative side, how long will it take Vandervelde and Calloway to find their stride? Will there be a drop-off at center? Will Richardson's knee hold up? Having veteran and talented tackles will help, when Calloway finds his way back. Still, this is very much a work in progress.

- Marc Morehouse