49ers Notebook: Mike Evans, Trevon Diggs clash in viral moment; Gracen Halton leads rookie surge; Renardo Green continues to rise

Amid all the electrifying moments to come from the 49ers' wild 32-29 win over the Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle on Sunday, the one the internet might have liked the most was when 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans seemingly invented a new method of insult while being confronted by Seahawks safety Trevon Diggs.

The incident happened after a play when Diggs was jawing with Evans. During the incident, Evans turned Diggs around to look at the name on the back of his jersey. Video of the moment drew millions of views on social media, with fans interpreting Evans' action as taking a shot at Diggs by asking, "Who are you?"

But was Evans really disrespecting Diggs? Maybe not. After the game, Evans told reporters he couldn't tell at first who was jawing with him and simply wanted to know who it was.

"I was blocking him until the whistle, and then he said something like I'm doing extra or something like that," Evans said. "And I didn't know that was him at first, because I played against him a few times and we've always been cool. He was a good player. And I honestly didn't know it was him because in the helmet, it's hard to tell sometimes."

Evans got the answer he was looking for when he looked at the back of Diggs' jersey.

"We were talking trash, and I think I like pushed him, and then I was like, 'Who are you?' And I I looked and made sure. I was like, 'Oh, it's f****** Diggs.'

"And then he mushed me. It should have been a penalty. But yeah, I mean, it is what it is."

Whether or not Evans' intentions during the incident matched the interpretation made by social media, the moment was entertaining for anyone watching. That includes Evans' teammates, who had a bit of fun with the incident when asked about it after the game.

"It's pretty funny," left tackle Trent Williams said. "Mike plays with an edge. He plays with a huge edge. Something you wouldn't expect a receiver to have."

The Evans-Diggs incident leads off this version of 49ers Notebook, which also includes a dive into the four takeaways the 49ers had on Sunday that proved indispensable in their victory. Let's get into it...

Rookies make their presence felt

It's safe to say the 49ers wouldn't have won against the Seahawks on Sunday without the contributions made by their rookie players.

Leading the way was defensive tackle Gracen Halton, who had his biggest game yet in what has been a very promising start to his rookie season. The fourth-round pick Halton was credited with three tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one quarterback hit, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.

Halton's touchdown was one of the biggest highlights of the game. It came with seconds remaining in the first half when the Seahawks handed the ball to running back George Holani while backed up to their own 4-yard line. Halton reached up and batted the ball out of Holani's hand, then recovered the ball in the end zone to give the 49ers a 21-13 lead before halftime.

The way Halton described the play made it seem like he didn't know what happened until everything was over.

"I just knew I had to get off the ball," Halton said. "I felt my hand touch the ball, and I fell to the ground. I just heard people screaming. I turned around and the ball's right there on the ground. I got on it and all my emotions took over after that."

Fellow Oklahoma Sooner Trent Williams, who has been a mentor to Halton, was understandably proud to see Halton's performance on Sunday.

"G-Baby, man. I told him we can't do this without him," Williams said. "He's going to be a heck of a player in this league for a long time to come. Just a supreme talent."

Scoring a touchdown isn't anything new to Halton, who scored at Oklahoma and had his share of touchdowns while playing offense in high school. But he'll remember his first NFL touchdown, at least for a little while.

"It'll be special," Halton said. "I'll take it all in today and erase it by tomorrow."

Joining Halton in notching his first NFL sack was linebacker and fifth-round pick Jaden Dugger. Dugger had a sack early in the first quarter, then finished with nine tackles while stepping up in the absence of Dre Greenlaw after he was ejected for headbutting Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones.

"Shout out to Dugger, stepping up," Williams said. "Obviously we'd love to have Dre, but emotions run high though. Things happen."

Other rookies to contribute on Sunday included defensive end and third-round pick Romello Height, who was credited with a quarterback hit, and running back and third-round pick Kaelon Black, who chipped in six carries for 16 yards, including a couple of clutch runs on the final 49ers drive that ended in a decisive field goal.

"We just came in ready to work, trying to take advantage of our opportunities," Dugger said Sunday. "So whenever we have those, we just want to capitalize. It was great."

Renardo Green ascends

Cornerback Renardo Green's 2025 season ended with head coach Kyle Shanahan scolding him on the sidelines during a 41-6 playoff loss to Seattle. That moment now seems like a distant memory, as Green is solidifying himself as an impact cornerback in his third NFL season.

A second-round pick out of Florida State in 2024, Green's ups and downs over his first two seasons led to some speculation over what his role would be this season and beyond. But so far, he's made the most of this season and has been one of the team's top defensive backs.

Green continued his rise on Sunday with two interceptions, the first coming after Dugger's sack in the first quarter. The interception set up a short field for the 49ers, which they turned into a 7-0 lead.

"Either you go to the sticks or you have to run past me, and I don't think you're going to be able to do both," Green said about the play. "And I just sat on it, and then I jumped and I made a play."

Green's second interception came early in the third quarter. The interception led to a missed field goal.

"It was a double tight end formation," Green said. "One of them released, and it's a tight end, like I just run past him. So when he ran the out route, I played like he had a step on me. Once the ball went in the air, I just turned it on and undercut the ball."

The 49ers kept faith in Green, and this season it's paid off. Green now has three interceptions in five games this season after posting just one over his first two seasons.

"I think Renardo's ceiling is very high," Shanahan said. "I think he can be a very good corner in this league, and he is showing that. I mean, he was big-time today. It wasn't just the two picks, but stopping the slant there at the end when they were right in that field goal range area was huge. He's been playing so smart, and to get his hand on the ball today, it's what we've seen every day from him since he got back in April or May. I know he's just getting started."

Green said Sunday that the faith of Shanahan and general manager John Lynch gave him a boost of confidence after his first two seasons.

"John, Kyle, all our coaches—you know, we've got really great coaches, and they push us hard," Green said. "I ain't really need nobody to tell me to believe in myself or how good they see me. Like, my confidence came from myself already. But when you've got a mind like Kyle and his resume and all that, and you just hear it, it just lets you know that I ain't tripping. I really am one of the ones.

"Like, I already know that, and I truly believe that. So, it adds extra motivation, and it gives me a little bit more confidence you can say, I guess. But I already had confidence and knew who I was before anybody had to tell me anything. I got here for a reason."

The other turnover

While Green and Halton accounted for three of the four takeaways the 49ers had on Sunday, the other came via a familiar face in very familiar fashion.

That would be a forced fumble from Fred Warner, who punched the ball out of the hands of running back Emanuel Wilson in the second quarter. The fumble was recovered by safety Malik Mustapha at the Seahawks' 11-yard line, after which the 49ers scored their second touchdown of the game.

The forced fumble was the third of the season for Warner and the 13th in his past 45 games.

"I practice it every day, everything I do, so that way when we're in those games, I really don't think about it much," Warner said Sunday. "...That specific moment we had him backed up and I really had it on my mind, so I was happy to be able to get that one and obviously turn it into points afterward."

More info on: Kaelon Black, Jaden Dugger, Mike Evans, Renardo Green, Dre Greenlaw, Gracen Halton, Romello Height, Malik Mustapha, Fred Warner, Trent Williams