The SEC is the most talked-about, most overheated and most love-’em-or-hate-’em college football conference in existence. Year after year the league cranks out more first-round draft picks and more national championship contenders than any other league. The SEC has its own TV network, and the schools are mostly in small or small-ish college towns where the football team is the biggest topic around.

But some of the league’s players still slip through the cracks.

Some darn fine players labor through the SEC season without a lot of fanfare. These are our selections for the the 10 most unsung players in the SEC for the 2018 season, though you can bet NFL scouts will be noticing some of these guys.

Paul Adams, OT, Missouri

College Football News called Mizzou the best O-Line in the East and Adams is a big reason. The 6-6, 315-pound senior has helped keep quarterback Drew Lock clean — just 13 sacks for a QB who attempted 419 passes in 2017.

Lynn Bowden, WR/KR, Kentucky

Bowden was among the nation’s top kick returners by volume and the former high school quarterback comes into 2018 looking to add more to the Wildcats offense. Bowden had 37 kickoff returns in 2017, tied for third nationally, and a respectable 23.5 average, seventh in the SEC.

Bryan Edwards, WR, South Carolina

Deebo Samuel is the South Carolina receiver who gets all the hype, and understandably so. But after Samuel lost most of the 2017 season to injury, Edwards led the Gamecocks in receptions with 64; that is the third-highest number among returning SEC receivers.

Mike Edwards, S, Kentucky

The senior led the Wildcats in 2017 in both tackles (97) and interceptions (four) and weighed entering the NFL draft before deciding to return to Lexington for his final season of eligibility. Linebacker Josh Allen gets much of the ink on Kentucky’s defense but Edwards is a solid player, too.

Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Mecole Hardman, WR/PR, Georgia

The Bulldogs junior led the SEC in punt returns (23), punt return yards (271) and average (11.8 yards per return) in 2017. But on a team with as many weapons as Georgia has, he is under the radar even after he scored two touchdowns in January’s CFP National Championship Game.

De’Jon Harris, LB, Arkansas

The leading returning tackler in the SEC is LSU’s Devin White, a projected first-round pick and first-team preseason All-American. Did you know Harris is the league’s No. 2 returning tackler? The junior racked up 115 tackles last season and leads a Razorbacks defense seeking a rebound.

Jauan Jennings, WR, Tennessee

Georgia fans should certainly remember him.

Jennings lost almost all of the 2017 season with a wrist injury/dismissal, and now he returns to a Volunteers team that sorely needs a playmaker on offense. His health is a question, but his talent is not.

Donell Stanley, C, South Carolina

Pro Football Focus grades Stanley as one of the 20 best players in the SEC. But it’s hard to get any preseason recognition in a league where Alabama’s Ross Pierschbacher is a first-team preseason All-American. Stanley is a key cog for the Gamecocks’ offense, though.

Trayveon Williams, RB, Texas A&M

The junior’s production fell off after he rushed for 1,057 yards as a freshman in 2016. Last season he had 798 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns. Williams might get more chances to shine for the Aggies in new coach Jimbo Fisher’s pro-style offense.

Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Charles Wright, LB, Vanderbilt

The outside linebacker emerged as the best pass rusher for the Commodores last season, leading them with nine sacks and eight quarterback hits. New defensive coordinator Jason Tarver should certainly enjoy deploying the senior this season.