Before I get into the CB rankings, I wanted to tell you that I have a sneaking suspicion that Fred Kirsch took his wife to Bass Pro Shop for lunch. The man’s a menace. He goes to Bass Pro for everything from chicken wings to the tube socks he wears with his sandals. He’s totally bonkos.

Now on to a position the Patriots need to bolster, regardless of whether or not they re-sign Asante Samuel this offseason.

Note: To be fair to our followers, I don’t like to voice opinions on players I haven’t seen play a lot. And as much college football as I’ve watched this year, I’m sorry to say that I haven’t seen Tennessee State play. Because of this, I haven’t formed an opinion on Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie yet. I saw him at the Senior Bowl and he certainly looks like a player but I’ll have to watch film on him before I can rank him and comment on him with a shred of intelligence.

1. Antoine Cason, Arizona - I’m going down with the ship on this one. I’ve watched Cason play since he was a freshman and the last three years, he hasn’t only been the best corner in the nation, he’s one of the best players at that position I’ve ever seen play college football. Now Mel Kiper is telling me Cason is going to be a second-day pick because he’s slow? I just can’t buy that. I believe the corner position is one of the most mis-evaluated (Just an FYI: I’m pretty sure I made this word up) areas this time of year for one simple reason: instincts. The best corners have great instincts. But right now scouts and fans will fall in love with guys who run 4.2 40’s, yet can’t recognize a pass route. A perfect example of what I’m trying to say is right here in New England. Ellis Hobbs is faster than Asante Samuel but he doesn’t have Samuels’ feel for the game. Touchdown Plaxico Burress. See my point?

I’m sorry for the long rant but I’m shocked where some of these “experts” have Cason ranked. He has tremendous instincts, is extremely smart and much like Samuel Cason has the ability to peel off his man and jump a receiver’s route. I keep hearing he’s slow but I’ve watched the guy pick off passes and return punts to the house while easily blowing past people. Cason is so slow that he participated on the University of Arizona’s track team. Cason started all 46 games in college, has great coverage skills (15 career interceptions), is a solid tackler and can return punts. Oh yeah, he also moved to safety last year for the good of the team when the Wildcats secondary was decimated by injuries. Other than that, Cason isn’t much of a prospect. In my opinion, Cason is not only the best corner in this year’s draft but one of the best defensive players overall. Now, please don’t go out and run a 5.2.

2. Mike Jenkins, South Florida - Jenkins is a great athlete with tremendous closing speed. He was a key member of a stingy South Florida defense last year when he recorded 42 tackles and three interceptions. Jenkins has experience playing both corner and safety but is better suited at corner because of his natural coverage abilities. Jenkins is a four-year starter who still offers a lot of upside. He’ll be in contention to be the first corner selected in this year’s draft, which means Jenkins could end up in New England.

3. Aqib Talib, Kansas - Right now I have Jenkins and Talib basically neck and neck for that No. 2 corner spot. Talib is a true ballhawk, as his 13 career interceptions will attest. Talib is probably the most athletically gifted corner in this draft and those skills even allowed him to play some offense in college. Talib excels in man-to-man coverage but he still needs some work playing zone. He was impressive for most of the season but one red flag is he didn’t have great games against Nebraska and Missouri - two of the best passing teams Kansas played last year. Still, Talib has the talent and physical skills to be a shutdown corner at the NFL level.

4. Reggie Smith, Oklahoma - Smith is one of the most versatile defensive backs in this year’s draft class with experience at corner and free safety. Like Cason, Smith isn’t the fastest corner in the world but he makes up for it with good instincts on the field. He’s one of those players that always seems to be around when there’s a fumble or tipped pass. Smith is returning from a toe injury that kept him out of the Fiesta Bowl but he’ll climb up draft boards if he runs well at the Combine.

5. Leodis McKelvin, Troy - I only saw McKelvin play a couple of times, so I need to watch a lot more tape of him before I move him up my draft board. I know McKelvin is the flavor of the month with the draft experts but I’ll be interested to see how he played in big games this past season. Troy played a tough schedule that included Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma State and Arkansas. I want to see how he matched up with the receivers from those schools. On the plus side, McKelvin is one of the best return men in this draft but on the negative side, he’s built like and reminds me a lot of Ellis Hobbs. I will have a much better read on McKelvin after the Combine and watching some more tape of him.

Overrated
McKelvin - There’s no way anyone is going to tell that at this point in the process, McKelvin is a top 10 pick and a better corner prospect than Cason, Jenkins and Talib. No way.

Underrated
Cason - Don’t get me started again.

Sleeper
Chevis Jackson, LSU - He’s not getting talked about much but Jackson is a smooth corner with good ball skills. Jackson isn’t flashy and he really doesn’t stand out in one particular area but he has the ability to be a dependable NFL corner and would represent great value as a mid-round pick.