Riley Reiff (born December 1, 1988) is an American football offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa and was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the first round, 23rd overall of the 2012 NFL Draft. He previously played for the Lions from 2012 to 2016 and the Minnesota Vikings from 2017 to 2020.
High school career
Born in Parkston, South Dakota to Jo and Tom Reiff, Riley attended Parkston High School, where he was a two-time South Dakota Elite 45 team selection under head coach Jon Mitchel. Reiff was a two-way player for the Trojans, receiving first-team All-State honors at defensive end as a sophomore and junior, as well as first-team All-State honors at tight end as a senior. As a senior in 2007–08, Reiff was named South Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year. During his high school career, Reiff recorded 261 total tackles, 23 sacks and eight interceptions on defense, and also caught 27 passes for 321 yards and nine touchdowns on offense.
In addition to football, Reiff also lettered in golf, track and was a three-time wrestling champion with a career record of 121–1, claiming three state titles. Reiff also excelled in the throwing events for the Parkston track and field team, owning personal-bests throws of 54'5" (16.59 m) in the shot put and 147'8" (45.01 m) in the discus throw.
Reiff was listed as a three-star defensive end prospect by Rivals.com and was ranked 28th nationally among senior strongside defensive ends. When it came to recruiting, one of Reiff's most persistent suitors was Iowa assistant coach Reese Morgan, who also lured former Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway to Iowa City back in 2001. Reiff initially committed to the Hawkeyes in April 2007 while still a junior at Parkston. He later had second thoughts and switched his verbal commitment to Nebraska, indicating that he "pulled the trigger a little too early" with Iowa, but when the Cornhuskers started sinking under the direction of Bill Callahan, Reiff found his way back to the Hawkeyes.
2008-2011 |
2012-2016 |
2017-2020 |
2021 |
2022 |