Matt Bressington's Early Season Breakouts.

The first quarter of the EFA is over and out. New players have broken out, and I want to talk about them.

Edris Jean-Alphonse, Defensive Back, Paris Musketeers

EJA's game vs Louis Geyer made me revisit the tape, and, to my surprise, he has mostly been used as a rotational defensive back for the Paris Musketeers. This isn't a crazy revolution, given that the Paris secondary is arguably the best in Europe right now and features multiple players with CFL experience, including Edris. In addition to some of the most positionally flexible athletes in the league. However, given his performance in this game, I would not be surprised to see him used more as the season continues, especially if he can carve out a niche as a corner that can get physical with bigger receivers, a skill set that is widely unavailable in Europe right now.

Ilan Barbaras, Linebacker, Paris Musketeers

There should not be a surprise that Jack Del Rio has produced a great linebacker through his schemes and coaching. Barbaras took a path like many French players to get to where he is now, University football in Canada, where he played in 26 games and recorded 108 in his four-year career. Now with the Musketeers, he is showing fundamental inside linebacker play with successful tackling and explosive downhill ability. I am a big fan, and I would not be surprised to see him around the All-Star discussion come the end of the year.

@maximelepihif - Maxime Le Pihif

Elliot Maximus Krogius, Hybrid, Nordic Storm

This was an interesting find for me on the tape because I was aware of Elliot, a Swedish national team DB who played a part in Nordics' season last year. However, this season he has very much reinvented his game, moving onto the line of scrimmage as a hybrid defensive end/linebacker. It makes sense; he has a long frame, is 6'5, can tackle well, and has burst. But I did not expect him to look as good off the edge as he did against Prague; he gave experienced offensive tackles some serious issues and made some big tackles on Henderson in the backfield. He is still developing, but this position change was a stroke of genius.

Paul Kavadia Lenhardt, Wide Receiver, Frankfurt Galaxy

Admittedly, Paul broke out a lot last season statistically with 448 yards and 5 touchdowns with the Galaxy. However, this season, his game looks significantly more refined, and he has become a preferred European receiver of Ethan Garbers, which, if you know the talent on the Galaxy, that means a lot. He is remarkably quick, plays aggressively, and has increased his route-running ability every year I have seen him play. Paul has played in the ELF/EFA since 2021. Considering he is only 25 and still getting better, it's not a jump to say he is becoming one of the trickiest slot receivers in Europe right now.

Marie Sommer

Who did I miss?

Always looking for more players to highlight.