TMZ Sports - Page 50

Joe Mixon has found an NFL home.

The Cincinnati Bengals selected the ex-Oklahoma star in the 2nd round of the Draft Friday night -- 48th overall -- despite the running back's troubled past.

Mixon wasn't invited to the NFL combine after video was released showing him brutalizing a female student back in 2014 ... but many experts predicted he could be picked as high as the 2nd round, or fall off the board completely.

Mixon and the female student met privately last week and settled her lawsuit she had filed against him, both agreeing to move past the situation.

Hulk Hogan says he's saved almost ALL of the iconic bandanas he's rocked over the years -- hundreds of them -- and he's even got a favorite!!

The pro wrestling legend was at LAX with his BFF, Jimmy "Mouth of the South" Hart -- when he told us why he saves his headgear.

There's more ... Hulk also says he REALLY wants his daughter, Brooke, to pop out some kids so he and Jimmy can co-manage their pro wrestling careers!

Whatcha gonna do brother, when Hulks GRANDKIDS run wild over you?!

Moments after the L.A. Chargers picked Mike Williams in the 1st round of the NFL Draft, he got a phone call from Philip Rivers ... and it's clear both of these guys mean business.

Williams is pretty excited about his new gig -- and when the former Clemson WR touched down in L.A. on Friday, he told us he vows to be a dominant pro who gives everything to the game.

Aaron Rodgers was spotted at an L.A. golf course Thursday with a very attractive blonde -- and we're told it's "Baywatch" actress Kelly Rohrbach.

Just a few weeks after reports surfaced he split with longtime girlfriend Olivia Munn -- the Green Bay Packers quarterback hit up the Westchester Golf Course.

Witnesses tell us Rodgers and Rohrbach appeared to be holding hands and looked flirty -- until they noticed people watching them.

Both Rodgers and Rohrbach are avid golfers -- so maybe it was just a platonic trip to the links.

Then again, maybe not.

Turns out, Antonio Brown is kind of a freak athlete.

The NFL star hit the basketball court with Miami Heat stud Hassan Whiteside on Thursday for a little 1-on-1 action at the Heat practice facility ... and the WR looked pretty good!

He hit some shots. He drove to the lane. Ball handling was good.

The only real issue he had was when Hassan actually tried ... it looked like a father playing ball in the backyard vs. his kid.

Ex-Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett tells TMZ Sports he was nervous when his name was called to be drafted by the Eagles Thursday night ... because he was afraid of being booed!!!

Fortunately, that didn't happen -- most Eagles fans realized quickly this dude is a beast!!!

Barnett says he's stoked to begin his NFL career in Philly -- especially since he's a huge Meek Mill fan ... and Philly is Meek's turf.

One more thing ... yeah, his brother totally looks like Pitbull.

Great news for Russell Westbrook ... he finally found a superstar willing to help him out ... Lil Wayne, who brought Brodie up onstage to turn up in Oklahoma city Thursday night.

The Thunder were smacked from the playoffs by the Rockets earlier this week, but you'd never be able to tell by the way Westbrook was cheesin' onstage while Tunechi performed his hit, "No Worries."

BTW, Thunder player Victor Oladipo was also onstage turning up, and looked like he was trying his best, but still didn't give Russell much help in the partying department.

Remind you of anything?

Has anyone EVER been this excited to be drafted by Cleveland?!

Here's ex-Michigan star Jabrill Peppers celebrating his name being called with the 25th overall pick in the NFL Draft ... busting out his fraternity's signature 'party hop.'

Peppers was a Heisman trophy finalist last season with the Wolverines, but many predicted his draft stock would fall after he reportedly failed his drug test at the combine.

That wasn't the case, and Breezy is clearly happy about it ... smiling from ear to ear as his family and friends bark and cheer like they're in the middle of the Dawg Pound.

Cool moment from Snoop ... when he sent a personal, emotional video message to his former youth football player, John Ross -- praising him on getting drafted in the NFL.

Ross famously played in the Snoop Youth Football League as a kid -- and his family has been tight with Snoop ever since.

So, when Ross got drafted in the 1st round by the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, Snoop dug deep into his memory bank to deliver a pretty sweet message to the WR.

By the way, we got Ross right after the draft -- and he told us Coach Snoop can definitely expect some Bengals gear in the mail!

Where's the first place you go after getting selected in the 1st round of the NFL Draft and becoming a millionaire overnight???

MICKEY D'S, BABY!

That was the plan for ex-USC cornerback Adoree Jackson -- who was so excited after being taken with the 18th pick by the Tennessee Titans, he already had his order planned out!

Jackson was in a great mood -- and told us about his big plans to become an A-list crossover celebrity!

The Oakland Raiders "did a lot of work" investigating Gareon Conley before selecting him in the 1st round of the NFL Draft and believe he's NOT a rapist ... so says Ian Rapoport.

The NFL Network insider -- one of the best football reporters in the game -- says the Raiders dedicated serious resources to finding out as much as they could about Conley's rape case before they selected.

Conley insists he's been falsely accused of raping a woman at a Cleveland hotel on April 9. He has not been arrested or charged with a crime.

Get this, Rapoport says there was also interest from other teams -- Conley even took a lie detector test to prove he's telling the truth.

Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher says he's shocked his former running back, Dalvin Cook, wasn't selected in the 1st round of the NFL Draft.

Cook was widely regarded as one of the best skill position players in college -- but his name wasn't called during round 1.

Two other running backs DID get the call -- Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey.

Fisher is out in Philly and told us he was surprised Cook got the cold shoulder on Thursday -- but he's confident someone will pull the trigger tonight during rounds 2 and 3.

Stay tuned ...

Houston Texans star linebacker Brian Cushing says he's pretty pumped for his team's new QB Deshaun Watson -- but he's not convinced he'll be the starter ... yet.

Cushing and his wife are out in Philly for the NFL Draft -- and after Houston selected the Clemson star with the #12 pick, we asked Cushing for his quick reaction.

Of course, Watson will have to battle for the #1 job with Tom Savage -- a 4th year QB out of Rutgers.

Lamar Odom stands to make a boatload of dough ... now that he's cutting ties with his Florida crib.

The former NBA star bought the Pinecrest pad back in 2003 for $2.975 million for his stint with the Miami Heat ... but he's finally ready to say deuces to the crib and possibly make a sweet profit cause he's asking for $5.2 mil!!!

LO's been renting out the 8,557 square foot house for a few years now.

The 6 bedroom, 7.5 bathroom compound sits inside an exclusive gated community, and it has all the bells and whistles -- from a grand foyer entrance and media room to a pool, spa, tennis court and, of course, a basketball court.

Gareon Conley is now an Oakland Raider -- the team picked the embattled football star in the 1st round of the NFL Draft ... despite being in the middle of a rape investigation.

Conley fell to the 24th pick (he probably would've gone higher if not for the allegations). We know Conley spoke with multiple teams before and during the draft -- teams that grilled him pretty hard about the allegations.

Clearly the Raiders believe he's telling the truth -- that he did not rape the accuser in a Cleveland hotel on April 9.

Conley was not at the NFL Draft in Philadelphia -- instead, he was celebrating with close friends and family members at a private gathering in Ohio.

His family previously told TMZ Sports they believe God is on their side ... and Gareon will prove his innocence.

Don't pop the champagne just yet ... Jeb Bush tells TMZ Sports he and Derek Jeter haven't officially closed the deal to buy the Miami Marlins -- though he seems confident.