CINCINNATI — Around Cincinnati Thursday, Bengals fans and local businesses prepared for the first night of the NFL Draft.
Even though the Bengals do not hold a first-round draft pick after trading for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, fans told us they plan to celebrate.
Lifelong fan Nathaniel Darden said he was more excited for Lawrence's arrival and the second round than Thursday night's event.
"Well, I'm really excited ... mostly for the second round because we don't have a draft pic anymore because of old Dexter," Darden said.
WATCH: See what fans around the Queen City had to say ahead of the NFL draft
Bars at The Banks, including Tom’s Watch Bar, also got in on the excitement with watch parties of their own.
Matthew Wade, operating manager at Tom's Watch Bar, said he's expecting crowds to show up all the way through Sunday, with people showing up for both the draft and the Reds series versus the Detroit Tigers.
At Koch's Sporting Goods, Erich Koch told us the trade created a kind of "buzz" that's unusual for this time of year.
Koch was even able to create a few rare Lawrence jerseys already. He said the store "loves" when the Bengals recycle numbers.
"Of course, 97 was Shemar Stewart's number, who was their first round pick a year ago," Koch said. "We had a few of (Stewart's) jerseys left. So once we found out that Dexter got that number from Shemar, we're like, hey, it'd be cool just to put the name on those."
Koch said he believes anything is possible when it comes to the Bengals.
"I mean, some people are thinking they'll maybe trade back in. So, you never know," Koch said. "They broke precedent, they broke the mold by doing what they did with Dexter Lawrence."
Despite any uncertainty about the draft, fans are already counting down to the first game.
"I think we're back. I think we're back now," Darden said.
