Bulaga Provides Inspiration for Iowa Offensive Lineman

Hawkeyes guard and NFL Draft prospect Adam Gettis looks to Packers tackle Bryan Bulaga as an NFL role model.

After fighting through injuries as a junior, Iowa offensive lineman Adam Gettis had a solid senior season and now has his sights set on the NFL Draft.

It's been a sometimes trying journey for Gettis who fought through a high ankle sprain in 2010, which limited him to only two starts.

And now he's trying to overcome the stereotype that the Big Ten is a slow conference full of plodding players.

Fortunately for Gettis, he's got some good role models who are achieving at football's highest level, including former teammate and current Packers starting tackle Bryan Bulaga.

"A lot of offensive linemen come out of the Big Ten like Bryan Bulaga, Marshall Yanda," said Gettis. "You've got guys like that that are flouishing in the league. A lot of Big Ten linemen I believe do well in the league. It really translates over to the NFL."

Gettis, a 6-2, 293 pound guard, thinks one thing working in his favor is Iowa's reputation instilling great technique among their offensive linemen.

Exhibit A is Bulaga who was the starting right tackle for the Packers in the 2010 Super Bowl and followed that up with an even more impressive performance in 2011.

"He was a great player out of Iowa, his technique was awesome," said Gettis. "He had a great overall attitude.

"From what I've heard, he's doing well. He's having a good time in Green Bay. He's a great player, can't take anything from him."

And now it's Gettis' turn. He's the 28th rated offensive guard in this year's Draft class, according to NFLDraftScout.com.

Gettis is not a surefire lock for an NFL roster, but following in the footsteps of Bulaga can't hurt.

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Comments (1)

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CheeseheadKevin's picture

February 24, 2012 at 06:40 pm

Great article Brian. I am a huge Iowa fan and it is nice to see good articles about them for once. They had kind of a roughy past year and a half.

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