More praise for Bulaga

As the NFL Scouting Combine approaches, Bryan Bulaga's draft stock could be on the rise.

Bulaga, a Marian Central graduate, has moved up from the mid-20s to as high as No. 9 on several projected draft boards. The latest national writer to praise Bulaga is Bucky Brooks of NFL.com, whose latest mock draft has Bulaga going ninth to the Buffalo Bills.

"The team's woeful offensive line needs a franchise-caliber tackle on the left side," Brooks wrote.

Meanwhile, the latest draft projection at NFLDraftCountdown.com also pegs Bulaga to go No. 9 to Buffalo. The Bills need a quarterback, the site said, but Oklahoma's Sam Bradford and Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen likely will be off of the board after the first six picks.

Bulaga was named the Big Ten's offensive lineman of the year after his junior season at Iowa.

"After a season of trotting out a parade of has-been's and never-were’s at offensive tackle it is definitely time for the Bills to bring in a stud on the outside," the site's writers said. "Iowa’s Bryan Bulaga is a well-rounded, physical blocker who can both hold his own in pass protection and maul in the run game. ...

"After a rough start to his junior season, which included some missed games due to a thyroid condition, Bulaga closed it out with a bang. Bulaga held Georgia Tech’s Derrick Morgan without a sack in their big Orange Bowl matchup and reaffirmed why he is such a highly-regarded pro prospect. One other option to keep an eye on is wide receiver."

The Bills became even weaker on the offensive line this week when 26-year-old right tackle Brad Butler stunned the team by announcing his retirement. Butler, who started 31 games for the Bills in his career, majored in government studies at Virginia and said this week that he wanted to pursue his interests in "education, country and community."

The NFL Scouting Combine starts next week in Indianapolis. Offensive linemen are scheduled to work out Thursday.

The Bears will have to look much farther down on their depth charts for help on the offensive line. They do not have a pick in the first two rounds of this year's draft.