Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press

CHICAGO -- First-round draft pick Taylor Decker said he doesn’t care where he plays on the Detroit Lions’ offensive line.

“I would play any position that was asked of me,” he said.

Lions general manager Bob Quinn said he doesn’t know where Decker will fit in a group that returns all five of its starters from last year.

“That’s really to be determined,” Quinn said.

But two NFL scouts-turned-analysts, speaking before the draft, said that the smart move would be to play Decker at left tackle and move incumbent Riley Reiff to the right side.

“The thing about Reiff is, everything I’ve always been told is that he’ll play wherever, he doesn’t care,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “So in that situation, I would probably plug Decker in at left and kick Riley over to right. But that’d be something you could work out.”

Reiff, the Lions’ first-round pick in 2012, has started the last three seasons at left tackle, after playing as a swing sixth offensive lineman as a rookie.

He’s entering the final season of his rookie contract, and after the Lions tried replacing him in free agency -- Russell Okung signed with the Denver Broncos over the Lions -- there’s no guarantee he returns in 2017.

NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks said he, too, would play Decker at left tackle as a rookie, and he downplayed concerns about Decker’s 33 3/4-inch arms. Decker’s arms are on the short side for left tackles, though still within most teams’ desired range of greater than 33 inches.

Reiff, by comparison, has 33 1/4-inch arms.

Along with Reiff, the Lions return right tackle Michael Ola, who started seven games after he was claimed off of waivers from the San Diego Chargers, and backup Cornelius Lucas. They also signed veteran backup Lamar Holmes this off-season.

Decker started at right tackle as a sophomore and played left tackle the last two years for Ohio State. He said he “absolutely” considers himself a left tackle.

“Nobody’s going to be able to tell me otherwise,” he said. “But at the end of the day, I’ll play any position on the line. I’d play center if they asked me to play center. I think offensive line’s a collective position. You’re not just a left tackle or just a right guard, it’s a whole position. You’ve got to be able to do it all and be versatile.”

Day 1 NFL draft coverage

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@davebirkett

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