The Green Bay Packers drafted Bryan Bulaga as a left tackle out of Iowa in 2010. He found a home at right tackle as a rookie when starter Mark Tauscher was injured and never vacated the position.
Left tackle Marshall Newhouse has been average at best in two years as the starter at left tackle. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Bob McGinn reported that Newhouse allowed 42 1/2 pressures, 11 sacks and 13 1/2 "bad" runs in 2012 and 41 1/2 pressures, 10 1/2 sacks and 14 1/2 "bad" runs in 2011.
The Packersneed better production from their left tackle, and Bulaga could be the answer, McGinn suggests.
"It's hard for me because I think Bryan has really emerged," coach Mike McCarthy said at the NFL Scouting Combine. "I think he's an all-pro right tackle. I thought he was having an all-pro year this year. That's the way he graded out for us. He had the bad game at Seattle, but he recovered."
Bulaga missed the final seven regular-season games with a small fracture in the capsule of his hip. Undrafted rookie free agent Don Barclay fared better than expected in relief -- so much so, that Bulaga flipping sides could be an option. The wild card in all this is tackle Derek Sherrod, who missed all of 2013 after he suffered a gruesome broken leg as a rookie. There were high expectations as a first-round pick out of Mississippi State, but he was off to a slow start before the injury. There once was a vision of Sherrod on the left and Bulaga on the right for the next 10 years. That hasn't been ruled out.
Bulaga has shined on the right side, but that offensive line has to improve. Newhouse has yet to find consistency in two years as the starter on the left.
McCarthy won't stand idle with the same production from the line.
"I'll say this," McCarthy said. "We will be a better offensive line next year. You can write that down."
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.
