Hype kills … at times.

We asked our SDS staff for their take on SEC players who haven’t lived up to lofty preseason expectations this season. The answers vary.

Who is the SEC’s most overrated player this season?

Jon Cooper (@JonSDS): Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama

I don’t think Derrick Henry as a player is so much overrated as the hype that proceeded this season. Let’s face it: Leonard Fournette is already what we hoped Derrick Henry would be. That doesn’t mean that Henry won’t develop into a big-time player next year, but the Sugar Bowl gave everyone a false sense that he would dominate his sophomore season. It hasn’t happened, yet.

Christopher Smith (@csmithSDS): Cedric Ogbuehi, OL, Texas A&M

The entire Texas A&M offensive line, which entered the season with three strong NFL prospects, could get this award, as the unit is as responsible for the Aggies’ mid-season backslide as the porous defense. (Arkansas DE Trey Flowers and Mississippi State trashed RT Germain Ifedi before the latter suffered a season-ending knee injury.) One year after Luke Joeckel slid from right to left tackle, Ogbuehi made the same move, supposedly with a strong chance to become the team’s third consecutive Top 10 pick. But Joeckel now has moved back to the right side, a curious move. He got a first-round grade from the NFL Draft Advisory Board, but now that the NFL views right tackle as his likely position, he’s gotten a much lower grade from a regional scout — fourth round at best.

Ethan Levine (@EthanLevineSDS): Blake Sims, QB, Alabama

Perhaps I’m a victim of the moment following his inconsistent performance against LSU, but Blake Sims has been the most overrated player in the SEC this season. No one has claimed Sims is the best quarterback in the SEC, but he has received plenty of praise for his play in Alabama’s 8-1 start to the season. However, his numbers in 2014 don’t warrant that level of praise. He’s thrown for fewer yards than Kentucky’s Patrick Towles and has a worse completion percentage than Tennessee’s Justin Worley, Georgia’s Hutson Mason and Texas A&M’s Kenny Hill. He’s even thrown for fewer touchdowns Missouri’s Maty Mauk, who commands the SEC’s third-worst scoring offense. Sims is considered better than all of those players, and he might be, but with his pedestrian numbers it’s easy to argue he’s the most overrated player in the conference this season.

Brad Crawford (@BCrawfordSDS): Maty Mauk, QB, Mizzou

I described Mauk as a ‘gamer’ in August, a player I expected to be one of the league’s brightest stars this season during his first full year as Mizzou’s starting quarterback. He’s underachieved, has a long way to go to develop into a pro quarterback and doesn’t seem to have the instincts necessary to perform at an elite level. Mauk simply doesn’t like throwing from the pocket and after Dorial Green-Beckham’s departure, struggles without his security blanket on the outside. And to think this guy’s going to represent the Eastern Division in the SEC Championship Game? Take the West to cover.

Christopher Walsh (@CrimsonWalsh): Jacob Coker, QB, Alabama

It kind of depends on the time frame you’re talking about. For example, if you said overrated from the summer then it would probably have to be Alabama quarterback Jacob Coker because he was on the preseason watch list for the Maxwell and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm awards and then Blake Sims happened. If you said overrated from the first week of the season, Texas A&M quarterback Kenny Hill would have to be considered, but he didn’t have the same hype as Coker.

Brett Weisband (@WeisbandSDS): T.J. Yeldon, RB, Alabama

Just a couple years ago, T.J. Yeldon was being talked about like he was going to be the best running back to come through Alabama during the Nick Saban era. While he’s creeping up the school’s all-time leaderboards, he hasn’t been the all-purpose running beast that most expected him to be. Yeldon has been pretty good, averaging more than 5 yards per carry, but his workload has been reduced by more than 2 attempts per game from a year ago, while his yards per carry has also dropped by nearly a full yard. Even as Alabama’s backfield has been depleted by injuries throughout the season, the junior hasn’t had any breakout games. His fumble issues have cropped up on multiple occasions, most recently late in the fourth quarter against LSU, nearly costing Alabama the game.

Drew Laing (@DLaingSDS): Jeff Driskel, QB, Florida

I hate to pile on to a guy who’s last impression on the Gator football program will likely be the embarrassing performance against Missouri, but there’s no denying just how disappointing Driskel was this season. Coming into the season, he was an experienced quarterback that was finally in a system that fit his skillset. But Driskel appeared to get worse throughout the season, throwing 10 interceptions in just six games as a starter. At one point, there was a  legitimate question as to if he could complete a pass to an open receiver. I’m not sure if it was the coaching that led to his downfall or if Driskel’s weaknesses were simply overshadowed in past years, but he’s clearly not the player many built him up to be.

Jason Hall (@JasonHallSDS): Bo Wallace, QB, Ole Miss

Wallace was mediocre at best until the Alabama upset and then was immediately given Heisman consideration. Since then he’s had one game over 200 yards and lost two. Wallace is an average quarterback with a talented wide receiving corps and a great defense. Put him in the SEC East and he’d have six wins at best.