Best Defensive defenders by Season Rating in League One

The best defensive defenders in League One, 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

E. Pye of Stockport County is the standout for raw talent across defenders in League One, with a Field Insider Rating of 53.5, and T. Darikwa has been the form player this season, grading 52.1.

The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: T. Hamer has improved his Season rating most, up +33.6 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, J. Bagan of Cardiff is the most valuable name in this group at 16.7.

AFC Wimbledon · 24/25→25/26

Most improved

T. Hamer+33.6SsN

Lincoln · 24/25→25/26

50 players · ranked by best defendersCustomise →

	Player	Team
1	T. Darikwa Full-back	Lincoln	34	52.1	5236%	2117.4%
2	C. Goode Centre-back	Stevenage	31	48.2	48180.2%	287.7%
3	C. Piergianni Centre-back	Stevenage	34	45.5	467.3%	1924.1%
4	S. Bradley Centre-back	Lincoln	34	45.3	4560.6%	209.8%
5	T. Hamer Full-back	Lincoln	26	44.9	45297.3%	4912.5%
6	J. Bagan Full-back	Cardiff	24	44.8	45250%	5112.7%
7	E. Pye Centre-back	Stockport County	23	43.9	4410.6%	541.5%
8	O. Casey Centre-back	Blackpool	25	42	4212.7%	486.1%
9	L. James-Wildin Full-back	Stevenage	28	39.8	4021.7%	3512.8%
10	A. Oshilaja Centre-back	Mansfield Town	33	36	3634.8%	1826.7%
11	I. Niskanen Full-back	Exeter City	28	35.2	3529.9%	395.8%
12	P. Ng Full-back	Cardiff	30	34.3	3435.6%	3035.1%
13	D. Harvie Full-back	Wycombe	28	34.2	3414.8%	3812.5%
14	L. Freestone Centre-back	Stevenage	26	34.1	3439.8%	423%
15	J. McMillan Centre-back	Exeter City	28	33.7	3414.7%	3520.8%
16	M. Conway Full-back	Bolton	22	33.7	3412.7%	5140.2%
17	W. Aimson Centre-back	Wigan	32	33.7	3436.9%	2419.8%
18	A. Hartridge Centre-back	Burton Albion	27	33.2	3314.4%	3918.1%
19	J. Grimmer Full-back	Wycombe	32	32.8	332.7%	2319.1%
20	F. Blake-Tracy Centre-back	Mansfield Town	30	32.7	33483.9%	29±0%
21	W. Fish Centre-back	Cardiff	23	31.3	31179.5%	4918.2%
22	A. Baldwin Centre-back	Bradford	29	31.3	3111.4%	3215.4%
23	K. Naismith Centre-back	Luton	34	30.4	30382.5%	1713.4%
24	G. Johnston Centre-back	Bolton	27	30.3	3030.6%	439.5%
25	R. Towler Full-back	Lincoln	24	29.8	30338.2%	4917.1%
26	A. Mitchell Centre-back	Plymouth	24	29.7	3013.2%	493.1%
27	S. McLaughlin Full-back	Mansfield Town	36	29.5	3069.5%	155.5%
28	J. Kerr Centre-back	Wigan	29	29.3	2940.2%	3026.9%
29	M. Fox Full-back	Wigan	32	29.2	29178.1%	2134.7%
30	R. Johnson Centre-back	AFC Wimbledon	29	29	2942.5%	3210.4%
31	D. Lawlor Full-back	Cardiff	20	28.8	292300%	507.6%
32	C. Tilt Centre-back	Bradford	35	28.7	29±0%	162.6%
33	I. Ogundere Centre-back	AFC Wimbledon	23	28.4	2819.3%	4942.4%
34	R. Sweeney Full-back	Mansfield Town	29	27.9	2860.5%	2927.2%
35	M. Ross Centre-back	Plymouth	25	27.9	28113%	4827.1%
36	J. Rafferty Centre-back	Rotherham	32	27.5	2825.6%	2225.6%
37	C. Hall Centre-back	Port Vale	33	27.4	2738%	1812.3%
38	J. Edwards Full-back	Plymouth	35	27.1	27142%	153.8%
39	C. Humphreys Centre-back	Port Vale	27	26.9	2717%	3819.8%
40	J. Osei-Tutu Full-back	Bolton	27	26.7	27128.2%	3911%
41	N. Guinness-Walker Full-back	Northampton	26	26.7	2724.8%	426.1%
42	M. Wallace Centre-back	Huddersfield	33	26.7	27200%	1829.4%
43	J. Fitzwater Centre-back	Exeter City	28	26.4	26112.9%	329.3%
44	P. Sweeney Centre-back	Exeter City	31	26.4	2647.5%	247.6%
45	U. Godwin-Malife Full-back	Burton Albion	26	26.3	265.4%	429.8%
46	J. Senior Centre-back	Doncaster	29	25.3	2558.1%	3021.9%
47	C. Forino-Joseph Centre-back	Bolton	26	24.9	25232%	420.7%
48	P. O'Connor Centre-back	Reading	29	24.7	2539%	3223.9%
49	S. Earley Centre-back	Stevenage	23	24.7	256075%	4418.5%
50	R. Kpakio Full-back	Cardiff	19	24.3	242109.1%	5112.2%