He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft, winning Super Bowl XLV that season.

Bulaga has one small Polish word tattooed on each arm (siła "strength", and pycha "pride").

He attended Marian Central Catholic High School in Woodstock, Illinois, where he played offensive tackle and tight end but also at defensive end occasionally, and even at linebacker for the Marian Central Catholic Canes high school football team.

Bulaga and his teammates at the Marian Central High School, coached by Ed Brucker, were undefeated during their regular season in nine games, and they took second place in the state playoffs, losing in the championship to the Springfield Sacred Heart Griffin High School.

Bulaga chose to attend the University of Iowa, whose football coaches promised him that he could play in the offensive line.

On January 6, 2010, Bulaga released a statement about his intentions to forgo his final season of college and enter the 2010 NFL draft.

[16] Bulaga suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during training camp workouts on August 4, 2013.

[20] During Monday Night Football against the Lions in Week 9, November 6, 2017, Bulaga was carted off the field with a left knee injury.

The next day, it was revealed that his left knee was diagnosed with a torn ACL, putting Bulaga out for the rest of the 2017 season.