NFL

Sometimes, 21-year-olds aren't as stupid when it comes to money as you'd think ...

Here's the newest Tennessee Titan, Jack Conklin -- the 8th overall pick in the draft -- telling us how he plans to STAY wealthy now that he got wealthy.

Fred Taylor says he can save Laremy Tunsil ... with the ex-Jacksonville Jaguars running back telling TMZ Sports he wants to mentor the embattled NFL rookie so he doesn't become the next Manziel.

Taylor spent 10 years with the Jags -- and was inducted into the team's ring of honor ... and after the Tunsil drama at the draft Thursday night, he told us he wants to help the kid.

"I just reached out to some of my people to see if they knew him," Taylor told us ... "I'd like to mentor him. I'm 10 minutes from the Dolphins facility."

Taylor said playing South Beach can be tough for young players -- but he thinks with the right guidance, Tunsil can be an All-Pro in 2 years.

Right after he was taken FIRST in the NFL draft, all Jared Goff wanted to do was go back to his hotel and chill ... but he couldn't ... 'cause he was locked out.

Don't worry, Goff .... you're rich and famous now.

Johnny Manziel drowned his NFL draft night sorrows in Fireball Thursday night ... ordering up 300 SHOTS at an Ohio bar for a few hundred of his not so closest friends ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

Two years after he was selected in the 1st round ... the unemployed QB hit up Dahlia Bar and Lounge in Columbus right after the 1st round of the '16 draft wrapped up.

You can see in the video Johnny was in a generous mood ... buying 300 shots of whiskey and some Miller Lites for the crowd.

We're told Johnny spent the night hanging out in the DJ booth with Justin Bieber's tour DJ ... JB had a concert in Columbus on Thursday, but was a no-show at the bar.

Earlier in the day, Manziel was reportedly hangin' at ANOTHER Columbus bar ... watching the draft while sporting a white headband -- the same headband he was rocking later that night.

FYI, the Browns drafted a WR last night ... if only they had a QB to throw him the ball.

The person who hacked Laremy Tunsil right before the NFL Draft -- and posted video of the football player hitting a gas mask bong -- is pure evil ... so says Laremy's ex-teammate Robert Nkemdiche.

Laremy Tunsil's stepfather tells TMZ Sports ... he is NOT the person who hacked the football star's Twitter account and published a video of Laremy hitting a bong.

FYI -- the video, showing Laremy hitting a gas mask bong, was released on Laremy's own page just as the NFL Draft started. Laremy was expected to be a top 10 pick. Tunsil's agent has said he was hacked.

Since Laremy is currently locked in a nasty legal war with his stepfather Lindsey Miller -- with the two sides filing domestic violence charges against each other last year -- most people began pointing the finger at him.

But Miller tells us he absolutely denies having ANY involvement in the video leak.

"I don't know nothing about no video. I'm not even watching the draft."

Miller says he's upset about being accused -- and adds, "I was a Red Cross volunteer of the year. I would never do anything like this."

Wanna REALLY know about somebody? Talk to their roommate ...

Which is why we spoke with the guy who lived with Carson Wentz -- the QB's ex-college teammate Jedre Cyr ... who says Carson is so squeaky clean, he'd let him date his sister!

Wentz roomed up with Cyr (fullback) during their time on the football team at North Dakota State -- and was raving about how Wentz might be the biggest choir boy he's ever met.

It's Ezekiel, bitch.

Here's former Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott ... doing his best Britney Spears impression on the red carpet at the NFL Draft.

Oops, he did it again.

The mystery is over.

Chris Pratt says he takes FULL RESPONSIBILITY for torching Aaron Rodgers' steak on a couples trip earlier this month -- falling on the sword in the biggest celebrity meat story since "Kim Kardashian, Superstar."

He's about to become a millionaire overnight -- so top NFL prospect Artie Burns decided to celebrate early ... by dropping $41k on some sick jewelry, TMZ Sports has learned.

The former University of Miami star is projected to go in the 1st or 2nd round ... and earlier this week, he swung over to Joe Avianne's at Avianne and Co. in NYC to ice up.

"Artie came through and picked up a 2-tone Rolex ($19k), a diamond cross ($3k) and a diamond tennis chain ($19k)," Avianne tells us.

So what's Artie's next purchase? Hopefully a safe.

Check yourself the next time your Lyft driver tries to bait you into talking smack about Richard Sherman -- 'cause the guy might actually be Richard Sherman!

Lawrence Taylor has some real talk for Johnny Manziel -- "It's not the 1980s. It's not the early 1990s. You cannot do what you want to do in the NFL anymore."

TMZ Sports sat down with LT at a signing event at Miami Mike's sports bar in Jersey ... and with his well-known issues with substance abuse, we asked the NFL legend if he had any advice for the troubled Manziel. Taylor's initial reaction -- "He's gotta get the monkey off his back."

From there, Taylor went on to explain how social media is forcing NFL players to actually behave in public nowadays ... because there's a greater chance you'll get caught.

"With social media and all that stuff man, listen ... Man, back in our day, if you didn't hear it on Monday, motherf**ker you free!!! You free!!"

"You ain't gotta worry about it if you don't hear about it on Monday because listen, when I would do some sh*t ... I'm just trying to get through Monday!"

He added, "But nowadays it's 24-hour news. It's 24-hour sports. It's social media which kills ya."

Taylor says for that reason, he has ZERO social media presence -- no Twitter, no Instagram, no Snapchat.

Taylor concluded by looking directly in the camera -- waving off his friend and ex-teammate O.J. Anderson -- and giving Manziel one final piece of life advice:

Here's the REAL Antonio Gates dishing out some advice to the guy being hailed as the NEXT Antonio Gates ... giving Baylor hoops star Rico Gathers some advice on how to make it as a tight end in the NFL.

FYI -- the 6'8", 290-pound Gathers made headlines a few weeks ago when he declared for the NFL Draft ... despite the fact he hasn't played football since he was 13.

Fun Fact -- Gates famously didn't play a single down of college football ... but used his hoops skills to become one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history.

Gathers is hoping to follow suit ... so, when we saw Antonio out in L.A. with his wife Sasha Gates -- we had to ask if he had any wisdom to share with the young fella. Pay attention kid ...

BTW, Sasha's a pop singer -- and she ain't half bad either! Peep this.

Mike Vick says he's training his ass off to return to the NFL ... with his rep telling TMZ Sports the QB would love to stay in Pittsburgh, but he's open to playing for any team in the league.

Earlier this month, Vick told reporters he's got "one more dedicated season in my blood" -- but also said he'd be okay if he didn't get picked up by a team in 2016.

Well, we're told Vick is still preparing as if he will play in '16 -- "He's training every single day. [He's] staying ready mentally and physically."

When asked if he had any preference, Vick's rep told us he loved playing in Pittsburgh "but he'll be ready wherever he goes."

Vick is currently a free agent -- but his rep reminded us that he didn't get picked up last year until the end of August ... so he's not sweating it yet.

Good news for the Cardinals, Dolphins, Texans and Bills ... an appeals court has ruled Tom Brady MUST serve his "Deflategate" suspension -- and won't play the 1st 4 games of the season.

Brady had appealed the initial punishment levied against him by NFL Commish Roger Goodell last year for his role in an alleged football deflating scheme in the AFC Championship game.

The lower court sided with Brady -- which is why he didn't have to miss a game last year. But the NFL pushed ahead with an appeal -- and the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals saw it the league's way.

Brady could have one last play -- he could appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States ... but they don't have to take the case.

Listen up L.A. Rams Cheerleading squad ... Paula Abdul -- a legend in the cheer game -- is about to give you some game on how to deal with being a pom pom shaker in L.A.