Best Defensive defenders by Season Rating in League One 26/27

The best defensive defenders in League One in 26/27, ranked on Field Insider.

Best defensive goalkeepers in League One Best defensive midfielders in League One Best defensive attackers in League One Best defenders in League One Most in-form defenders in League One Top-scoring defenders in League One

At a glance

L. Thomas of Leicester is the standout for raw talent across defenders in League One, with a Field Insider Rating of 66.5, and M. Platt has been the form player this season, grading 44.5, and L. Sørensen leads the scoring with 4 goals.

The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: M. Ihiekwe has improved his Season rating most, up +23.5 on last season, while C. O'Riordan's scouting Rating has risen fastest, +22.2 over the same span. Those are the players whose trajectory is bending upward fastest.

By our market-value index, B. Hills of Stockport County is the most valuable name in this group at 14.6.

Barnsley · 24/25→25/26

Most improved

M. Ihiekwe+23.5SsN

Blackpool · 24/25→25/26

50 players · ranked by best defendersCustomise →

	Player	Team
1	M. Platt Centre-back	Notts County	29	44.5	4515.6%	2232.4%
2	B. Hills Centre-back	Stockport County	22	41.2	41127.6%	482.8%
3	B. Cargill Full-back	Mansfield Town	31	39.8	4077.7%	2033.6%
4	L. Macari Full-back	Notts County	24	38.6	3952.6%	34±0%
5	A. Baldwin Centre-back	Bradford	29	38.5	3923%	32±0%
6	M. Ihiekwe Centre-back	Blackpool	33	37.1	37172.8%	1548.6%
7	F. Horsfall Centre-back	Blackpool	29	35.7	3640.6%	2828%
8	F. Kent Centre-back	Oxford United	30	34	3494.3%	2328.6%
9	T. Mengi Centre-back	Luton	24	34	3486.8%	4426.3%
10	M. Pennington Full-back	Bradford	32	33.8	3461%	2214.9%
11	F. Stevens Centre-back	Leyton Orient	23	33.3	33	57±0%
12	J. Olowu Centre-back	Leyton Orient	26	30.6	3158.5%	449.4%
13	B. Nelson Centre-back	Leicester	22	29.2	2981.4%	612.3%
14	C. Chambers Centre-back	Cardiff	31	28.9	2914.5%	2151.8%
15	W. Forrester Full-back	Leyton Orient	25	27.1	27135.7%	39±0%
16	E. Pye Centre-back	Stockport County	23	26.7	2739.2%	54±0%
17	Kyron Silveria Gordon Centre-back	Stockport County	24	26	266400%	4523.9%
18	E. O'Connell Centre-back	Stockport County	31	24.1	24162%	21±0%
19	J. Bowery Centre-back	Mansfield Town	35	22.7	2317.6%	947.7%
20	L. Sørensen Full-back	Huddersfield	27	22.6	2325.6%	443.9%
21	R. Johnson Centre-back	AFC Wimbledon	30	22.5	2322.4%	3212.3%
22	B. Osborn Centre-back	Stockport County	32	21.3	2140.8%	23±0%
23	Benn David Ward Centre-back	Reading	22	21.1	211.4%	4129.8%
24	C. Piergianni Centre-back	Stevenage	34	21.1	2153.6%	19±0%
25	T. Vancooten Centre-back	Stevenage	28	20.3	2050.4%	3415.4%
26	I. Ogundere Centre-back	AFC Wimbledon	23	18.9	1933.5%	49±0%
27	P. O'Connor Centre-back	Reading	29	18.4	1825.5%	32±0%
28	L. Thomas Full-back	Leicester	25	18.3	1831.2%	67±0%
29	I. Bowat Centre-back	Huddersfield	24	18.3	18125.9%	592.2%
30	K. Abrefa Full-back	Reading	22	18.2	1848%	442.4%
31	A. Kay Full-back	Barnsley	18	17.1	17	48
32	N. Byrne Centre-back	Doncaster	33	17	176.9%	13±0%
33	C. Nelson Centre-back	Milton Keynes Dons	33	16.7	1735.8%	10±0%
34	W. Harding Centre-back	Plymouth	30	16.5	1763.4%	27±0%
35	L. James-Wildin Centre-back	Stevenage	28	16.4	1658.8%	35±0%
36	L. Freestone Centre-back	Stevenage	27	16.2	1652.5%	42±0%
37	U. Godwin-Malife Full-back	Reading	26	15.1	1542.6%	42±0%
38	R. Sweeney Centre-back	Mansfield Town	29	15	1546.2%	29±0%
39	P. Chinedu Centre-back	Leyton Orient	20	14.6	15147.5%	3824%
40	S. Grehan Centre-back	Doncaster	22	14	1430.8%	42±0%
41	J. Williams Centre-back	Blackpool	27	14	1422.7%	588%
42	F. Delap Centre-back	Burton Albion	21	14	14300%	40±0%
43	H. Matthews Centre-back	Bradford	22	13.9	14363.3%	57±0%
44	C. Taylor Centre-back	Wycombe	25	13.9	1427.6%	44±0%
45	R. James Full-back	Sheffield Wednesday	32	13.7	1446.7%	21±0%
46	C. Goode Centre-back	Milton Keynes Dons	31	13.5	1472%	28±0%
47	K. Casey Centre-back	Stevenage	21	13.4	13	43
48	R. Balker Full-back	Huddersfield	28	13.4	1341.2%	3711.2%
49	G. Leigh Centre-back	Oxford United	32	13.3	1344.8%	2443.9%
50	O. Casey Full-back	Blackpool	26	13	1369%	487.2%