A 10^th-round pick out of Grand Valley State, an NAIA school, Essink turned out to be a late-round gem for the Seahawks. After spending most  of his rookie season as a backup, Essink became the team’s starting left tackle in 1981 and went on to start 70 games over the course of his six-year career in Seattle, including all 16 games in 1983 and 1984 as the Seahawks reached the postseason for the first time, doing so in consecutive seasons. Essink also had a two-yard touchdown catch as a rookie.