The Baltimore Ravens have kept in touch with free agent Bryant McKinnie, but they still have a gaping hole at their left tackle spot. General manager Ozzie Newsome reportedly is considering making a big splash to replace McKinnie.
Mike Preston of The Baltimore Sun reported Wednesday that the Ravens are "keeping an eye" on Oklahoma offensive tackle Lane Johnsonwith the hope of trying to trade up for him. Preston mentions the Ravens have 12 draft picks to use as ammunition, but they don't have any extra picks in the first three rounds. The Ravens surely would have to mortgage some picks to move up high enough to grab Johnson.
As we've explained in the last few days, we'd be mildly surprised if Johnson even made it to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 7. He almost surely won't get past the top 10.
It's hard to imagine the Ravens going high enough to grab Johnson, but perhaps this indicates the Ravens are willing to move to fill their left tackle spot. Someone like Florida State's Menelik Watson also might be an option.
UPDATE: Johnson told NFL.com senior editor Justin Hathaway on Wednesday that he hasn't spoken with the Ravens recently, but Johnson said past interactions went well.
"I talked to them there at the Senior Bowl, and I talked to them at the combine. It went great," Johnson said.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
