Best Defensive players by Season Rating in League One

The best defensive players in League One, ranked on Field Insider.

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

At a glance

M. Boateng of Plymouth is the standout for raw talent across players in League One, with a Field Insider Rating of 55.2, and L. Wing has been the form player this season, grading 67.7, and D. Ballard leads the scoring with 23 goals.

The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: D. Ballard has improved his Season rating most, up +47.6 on last season, while R. Street's scouting Rating has risen fastest, +17.8 over the same span. Those are the players whose trajectory is bending upward fastest.

By our market-value index, L. Tolaj of Plymouth is the most valuable name in this group at 18.9.

Lincoln · 24/25→25/26

Most improved

D. Ballard+47.6SsN

Leyton Orient · 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 Centre-back	Lincoln	26	44.9	45297.3%	4810.4%
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%	1827.1%
11	P. Ng Full-back	Cardiff	30	34.3	3435.6%	3035.1%
12	D. Harvie Full-back	Wycombe	28	34.2	3414.8%	3812.5%
13	L. Freestone Centre-back	Stevenage	26	34.1	3439.8%	423%
14	T. Mengi Centre-back	Luton	24	34	3486.8%	5016.1%
15	W. Aimson Full-back	Wigan	32	33.7	3436.9%	2419.5%
16	M. Conway Full-back	Bolton	22	33.7	3412.7%	5140.2%
17	J. McMillan Full-back	Exeter City	28	33.7	3414.7%	3520.6%
18	A. Hartridge Full-back	Burton Albion	27	33.2	3314.4%	3917.9%
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%	280.7%
21	I. Niskanen Attacking midfielder	Exeter City	28	32.4	3219.6%	388.2%
22	N. Byrne Centre-back	Doncaster	33	31.8	3242%	1919.1%
23	A. Baldwin Full-back	Bradford	29	31.3	3111.4%	3215.8%
24	W. Fish Centre-back	Cardiff	23	31.3	31179.5%	4918.2%
25	L. Sørensen Defensive midfielder	Huddersfield	26	30.4	3068.9%	453.3%
26	K. Naismith Centre-back	Luton	34	30.4	30382.5%	1713.4%
27	G. Johnston Full-back	Bolton	27	30.3	3030.6%	439.1%
28	R. Towler Full-back	Lincoln	24	29.8	30338.2%	4917.1%
29	A. Mitchell Centre-back	Plymouth	24	29.7	3013.2%	493.1%
30	S. McLaughlin Full-back	Mansfield Town	36	29.5	3069.5%	154.1%
31	J. Husband Full-back	Blackpool	32	29.3	2914.5%	2412.6%
32	J. Kerr Centre-back	Wigan	29	29.3	2940.2%	3026.9%
33	M. Fox Full-back	Wigan	32	29.2	29178.1%	2134.7%
34	R. Johnson Centre-back	AFC Wimbledon	29	29	2942.5%	3210.4%
35	D. Lawlor Centre-back	Cardiff	20	28.8	292300%	507.6%
36	C. Tilt Full-back	Bradford	35	28.7	29±0%	163.3%
37	I. Ogundere Centre-back	AFC Wimbledon	23	28.4	2819.3%	4942.4%
38	M. Ross Centre-back	Plymouth	25	27.9	28113%	4827.1%
39	R. Sweeney Centre-back	Mansfield Town	29	27.9	2860.5%	2928%
40	J. Rafferty Full-back	Rotherham	32	27.5	2825.6%	2225.3%
41	C. Hall Centre-back	Port Vale	33	27.4	2738%	1812.3%
42	N. Guinness-Walker Full-back	Northampton	26	27.3	2723.1%	425.6%
43	J. Edwards Full-back	Plymouth	35	27.1	27142%	153.8%
44	C. Humphreys Centre-back	Port Vale	27	26.9	2717%	3819.8%
45	M. Wallace Centre-back	Huddersfield	33	26.7	27200%	1829.4%
46	J. Osei-Tutu Full-back	Bolton	27	26.7	27128.2%	3911%
47	P. Sweeney Centre-back	Exeter City	31	26.4	2647.5%	247.6%
48	J. Fitzwater Centre-back	Exeter City	28	26.4	26112.9%	329.3%
49	U. Godwin-Malife Full-back	Burton Albion	26	26.3	265.4%	429.8%
50	M. Andersen Centre-back	Luton	28	26.2	26648.6%	3623.3%