Rock,
Its because last years draft had better graded tackles and therefore perception was Carimi was not a LT (even though he won the Outland at LT.)
Riley Reiff just happens to be a good tackle in a year when the tackle position is down, thus they keep saying he is a LT because thats what teams covet.
The first thing about Reiff that most people dont like is short arms (33 1/4)
Here is the list of last years OT and reach:
2011
9. Tyron Smith, USC Dallas 36 3/8 LT
17. Nate Solder, Colorado New England 35 1/2 TBD
22. Anthony Castonzo, Boston College Indianapolis 34 1/2 LT
25. James Carpenter, Alabama Seattle 34 RT
29. Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin Chicago 35 RT
32. Derek Sherrod, Mississippi State Green Bay 35 3/8 TBD
My guess is that if Reiff was in the draft last year he would have probably been behind Carimi and above Sherrod. I just really am not a huge fan of his (Reiff). No one has shown me any reason why Reiff is that great. His measurables arent that great, his accolades arent that great, he just really isnt that impressive.
He could prove me wrong, but who knows