Lions taking wait-and-see approach with Riley Reiff's position

The Detroit Lions currently have three vacant starting spots on their offensive line. Riley Reiff, who was the Lions' first-round pick last year, will fill one of the starting spots. That much we know.

What we don't know right now is what Reiff's main position will end up being in 2013. He has the ability to play left tackle, right guard and right tackle, and all three of those starting jobs are up for grabs. While the Lions may have drafted him to be a left tackle, his versatility is preventing the Lions from choosing a specific position for him. Lions general manager Martin Mayhew admitted on Monday that this is both a positive and a negative. From the Free Press:

"On the one hand, it's great that he can play so many positions," Mayhew said. "On the other hand, it's really causing a problem because he probably wants to know where he plays more than anybody else so he can start preparing himself mentally for that. But I guess we'll have to wait and see. I could see him at left tackle, but we'll have to kind of wait and see how things go."

It really comes down to what happens in the 2013 NFL Draft. If the Lions take someone like offensive tackle Eric Fisher in the first round, there's a very good chance that Fisher will become Jeff Backus' replacement at left tackle. This would allow Reiff to compete for the starting job at right guard or right tackle. If the Lions don't draft a tackle, however, then you can probably go ahead and pencil Reiff in as the starter at left tackle. It really just depends on how the draft plays out, and until then, Reiff probably won't have a good idea of what his main position will be for next season and beyond.