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

Kieran Morgan of Bradford is the standout for raw talent across defenders in League One, with a Field Insider Rating of 65.1, and J. Bagan has been the form player this season, grading 44.8, 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 T. Nixon's scouting Rating has risen fastest, +10.6 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.

Doncaster · 24/25→25/26

Most improved

J. Bagan+32SsN

Cardiff · 24/25→25/26

29 players · ranked by best defendersCustomise →

	Player	Team
1	J. Bagan Centre-back	Cardiff	25	44.8	45±0%	512.6%
2	J. Gibbons Centre-back	Notts County	28	38.6	39±0%	295.1%
3	P. Ng Centre-back	Cardiff	30	34.3	34±0%	30±0%
4	W. Fish Centre-back	Cardiff	23	31.3	31179.5%	4918.2%
5	D. Lawlor Full-back	Cardiff	20	28.8	292300%	507.6%
6	L. Macari Full-back	Notts County	24	26.3	264%	34±0%
7	B. Hills Centre-back	Stockport County	22	23.8	2431.5%	482.8%
8	A. Lewis Full-back	Mansfield Town	28	23.6	2451.3%	3216.8%
9	S. Roughan Full-back	Huddersfield	23	22.5	2338.5%	508%
10	C. Chambers Centre-back	Cardiff	31	21.6	2236.1%	2151.8%
11	M. Ihiekwe Centre-back	Blackpool	33	21.2	2155.9%	1548.6%
12	L. Sørensen Full-back	Huddersfield	26	21.1	2117.2%	443.9%
13	F. Kent Centre-back	Oxford United	30	20.3	2016%	2328.6%
14	F. Horsfall Centre-back	Blackpool	29	20	2021.3%	2828%
15	B. Cargill Full-back	Mansfield Town	31	19.9	2011.2%	2033.6%
16	M. Platt Centre-back	Notts County	28	18.9	1950.9%	2232.4%
17	R. McDonald Centre-back	Notts County	34	17.4	1745%	924.6%
18	B. Nelson Centre-back	Leicester	22	17.3	177.5%	612.3%
19	T. Mengi Centre-back	Luton	24	17	176.6%	4426.3%
20	J. Shepherd Centre-back	Barnsley	25	11.9	1261.2%	4529.5%
21	Kieran Morgan Full-back	Bradford	20	11.8	120.9%	653.6%
22	J. Bowery Centre-back	Mansfield Town	35	11.4	1140.9%	947.7%
23	K. Abrefa Full-back	Reading	22	9.1	926%	442.4%
24	T. Nixon Full-back	Doncaster	23	9.1	9203.3%	4035.6%
25	K. Casey Centre-back	Stevenage	21	8.4	8	43
26	G. Leigh Centre-back	Oxford United	31	7.6	868.5%	2443.9%
27	H. Matthews Centre-back	Bradford	22	7	7133.3%	57±0%
28	W. Faes Centre-back	Leicester	28	3.2	384.5%	3848.8%
29	J. Clarke Centre-back	Cardiff	36	2.2	283.1%	631.4%