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 C. Piergianni has been the form player this season, grading 45.5, and L. Sørensen leads the scoring with 4 goals.

The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: J. Bagan has improved his Season rating most, up +32 on last season, while I. Ogundere's scouting Rating has risen fastest, +14.6 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.

AFC Wimbledon · 24/25→25/26

Most improved

J. Bagan+32SsN

Cardiff · 24/25→25/26

50 players · ranked by best defendersCustomise →

	Player	Team
1	C. Piergianni Centre-back	Stevenage	34	45.5	46±0%	19±0%
2	J. Bagan Centre-back	Cardiff	25	44.8	45±0%	512.6%
3	K. Watts Centre-back	Cambridge United	26	44.1	44±0%	35±0%
4	E. Pye Centre-back	Stockport County	23	43.9	44±0%	54±0%
5	O. Casey Full-back	Blackpool	25	42	42±0%	48±0%
6	J. Gibbons Centre-back	Notts County	28	38.6	39±0%	295.1%
7	A. Oshilaja Centre-back	Mansfield Town	33	36	36±0%	18±0%
8	J. Bedeau Centre-back	Notts County	26	35.7	36±0%	33±0%
9	O. Sowunmi Full-back	Bromley	30	35.3	35±0%	22±0%
10	P. Ng Full-back	Cardiff	30	34.3	34±0%	30±0%
11	L. Freestone Centre-back	Stevenage	26	34.1	34±0%	42±0%
12	W. Fish Centre-back	Cardiff	23	31.3	31179.5%	4918.2%
13	A. Baldwin Centre-back	Bradford	29	31.3	31±0%	32±0%
14	G. Johnston Centre-back	Luton	28	30.3	30±0%	439.5%
15	Marcus Lemar Ifill Centre-back	Bromley	22	30.1	30±0%	36±0%
16	A. Mitchell Centre-back	Plymouth	24	29.7	30±0%	49±0%
17	R. Johnson Centre-back	AFC Wimbledon	30	29	29±0%	3212.3%
18	C. Tilt Centre-back	Burton Albion	35	28.7	29±0%	16±0%
19	S. Gale Centre-back	Barnsley	22	28.6	2910.4%	341.8%
20	I. Ogundere Centre-back	AFC Wimbledon	23	28.4	28±0%	49±0%
21	M. Wallace Centre-back	Huddersfield	33	26.7	27±0%	18±0%
22	L. Thomas Full-back	Leicester	25	26.6	27±0%	67±0%
23	U. Godwin-Malife Full-back	Reading	26	26.3	26±0%	42±0%
24	L. Macari Full-back	Notts County	24	26.3	264%	34±0%
25	P. O'Connor Centre-back	Reading	29	24.7	25±0%	32±0%
26	B. Hills Centre-back	Stockport County	22	23.8	2431.5%	482.8%
27	R. Balker Full-back	Huddersfield	28	22.8	23±0%	3711.2%
28	T. Sibbick Centre-back	Burton Albion	27	22.6	23±0%	36±0%
29	C. Chambers Centre-back	Cardiff	31	21.6	2236.1%	2151.8%
30	M. Ihiekwe Centre-back	Blackpool	33	21.2	2155.9%	1548.6%
31	L. Sørensen Full-back	Huddersfield	26	21.1	2117.2%	443.9%
32	M. Pennington Full-back	Bradford	32	21	21±0%	22±0%
33	F. Kent Centre-back	Oxford United	30	20.3	2016%	2328.6%
34	F. Horsfall Centre-back	Blackpool	29	20	2021.3%	2828%
35	B. Cargill Full-back	Mansfield Town	31	19.9	2011.2%	2033.6%
36	J. Olowu Centre-back	Leyton Orient	26	19.3	19±0%	449.4%
37	C. Taylor Centre-back	Wycombe	24	19.2	19±0%	44±0%
38	Kyron Silveria Gordon Centre-back	Stockport County	24	19	194650%	4326.3%
39	M. Platt Centre-back	Notts County	29	18.9	1950.9%	2232.4%
40	G. Osho Centre-back	Cardiff	28	18.4	18±0%	31±0%
41	R. McDonald Centre-back	Notts County	34	17.4	1745%	924.6%
42	B. Nelson Centre-back	Leicester	22	17.3	177.5%	612.3%
43	T. Mengi Centre-back	Luton	24	17	176.6%	4426.3%
44	N. Byrne Centre-back	Doncaster	33	15.9	16±0%	13±0%
45	J. Williams Centre-back	Blackpool	26	15.9	1612.2%	588%
46	L. Ness Centre-back	Notts County	24	15.5	16±0%	31±0%
47	A. Kay Full-back	Barnsley	18	15.1	15	48
48	T. Vancooten Centre-back	Stevenage	28	13.5	14±0%	3415.4%
49	C. Nelson Centre-back	Milton Keynes Dons	33	12.3	12±0%	10±0%
50	J. Bowery Centre-back	Mansfield Town	35	11.4	1140.9%	947.7%