Each summer the NFL has 2,480 players come to camp in an effort to win a job with a pro team. In reality, only 1,643 of them make the active roster when the season opens.

A number of players go into camp with the odds stacked against them. Ryland Wickman, Charles Roberts, Anthony Daisley and Ricky Ray are all former Hornets that some day would like to buck that trend.

Besides the school they played for, another common thread between the athletes is that they all have the same agent, Ken Stanniger.

Wickman is currently playing in NFL Europe as an allocated player by the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings view Wickman as a weak-side linebacker prospect who will come in and immediately contribute to their special teams coverage units.

“Special teams are really his window of opportunity,” said Stanniger.

What got the Vikings? attention was the range Wickman has shown in defending the pass with the CFL Winnipeg Blue Bombers, following his years at Sac State as a stout run-stuffing linebacker.

“The thing with Ryland is, he is very versatile,” Hornet head coach John Volek said.

While Wickman is flexible enough to play every down as an outside linebacker, his lack of great size will leave him on the outside, while his physical build and body-type should also eliminate the possibilities of him moving to strong safety, according to Stanniger.

Teams sometimes like to project linebackers to safeties and vice-versa. The Bears made Brian Urlacher, a collegiate strong safety into a linebacker, while the Rams this season will convert Adam Arhuletta, a college linebacker into a pro safety. The idea is to get the most out of each player?s talents and to put them into the best position to make plays.

Wickman also caught the fancy of the San Francisco 49ers this off-season but they were unable to offer him a contract due to severe salary cap constraints. Wickman, as a first-year pro will be eligible to earn a salary of $209,000. Should he land on the practice squad, he will be eligible to earn $4,000 per week. Each team is allowed to keep five players on their practice squad that have two years or less of NFL experience, to develop them into future contributors. Wickman is taking a similar path that Billy Volek, another one of Stanniger?s clients, followed while coming into the league with the Tennessee Titans.

While Wickman and Volek each have their foot in the door with pro teams, Stanniger has a new crop of former Hornets that at least for now will need to take a different path to getting to the NFL.

Former Hornets? signal caller Ricky Ray was a serious late round consideration for the Cincinnati Bengals, according to Stanniger. But Cincinnati signed two proven veteran quarterbacks and had no room for Ray. Stanniger negotiated with teams from both the CFL and NFL Europe, but was unable to find Ray a viable team to play for. Ray believes that his football career is now behind him.

“I think I?m pretty much done with football,” said Ray, who will now pursue different career opportunities.

Of the three Hornets Stanniger is representing this season, Ray clearly had the best chance of being drafted, according to Stanniger.

“I told my players that there was a very slim chance that they were going to be drafted. I thought there was a slight possibility Ricky could have been a late seventh round pick though,” Stanniger said.

Two other Hornets may also end up north of the border. Former Hornet running back Charles Roberts is in negotiations with Calgary and could have a contract officially inked soon.

Former Hornet outside linebacker Anthony Daisley got a look from the New York Giants this off-season, but appears headed to Edmonton, joining Roberts in the CFL. Calgary had Daisley on their designated list for seven weeks, but could not reach a deal. Under CFL rules, teams can keep players? rights for a certain period of time, but will have to cut bait if they cannot work out the financial terms.

Stanniger, who focuses on recruiting players primarily from the Rocky Mountain Region, has been in the agent business for 21 years. Over that time he has represented a number of former Hornets, who have gone in a number of different directions.

Last year, Stanniger represented both Jon Osterhout and Lonnie Paxton. Osterhout is now an assistant coach with the Hornets, while Paxton is coming off, what Stanniger described as a great season as the New England Patriots? long-snapper. Paxton has been conditioning this off-season to improve his cover ability, which is pertinent to the Patriots cover team.

Paxton has made it to the NFL, which is where the other former Hornets would like to make their permanent nest. While the numbers are stacked against them, the players hope to use the hard work that made them conspicuous players with the Hornets, to become staples someday on an NFL roster.