Whether Arizona starting left tackle Eben Britton expected it, the junior has found his name very high in recent talks about his draft status.

In November, ESPN’s Todd McShay rated Britton as the No. 7 overall player in the 2009 NFL Draft class with a grade of 96.

All the buzz surrounding the tackle’s stock as of late raises the question of whether Britton is going to forgo his senior season and enter the draft after the conclusion of this season.

“”I don’t know,”” Britton answered when asked if he was going to leave the Wildcats after the team’s bowl game. “”It is what I am working for and that’s what I have always dreamed of doing. If someone would have told me it was this close within my grasp, I probably wouldn’t have believed it because it is so surreal.””

But Britton knew he was good enough to get it done.

After all, the redshirt junior was named to the preseason watch list for the 2008 Outland Trophy Award Preseason, an annual award given to the nation’s top offensive or defensive lineman.

The attention wasn’t always there for Britton, as he was ranked 13th best offensive tackle by Scout.com, but his superior play has turned out to be enough to get some national recognition in terms of his ability to play at the next level.

If he was projected to go as a first-round pick, Britton said he would have a tough decision to make.

“”I definitely would take that into consideration,”” Britton said. “”I would talk to my family about it, and I would really have to weigh my options. (That) would be really tough (to turn down), but I have a lot of things going for me here and if I am projected as that high this year, then I will definitely be that high next year.””

Britton did say thinking about the lifestyle is also intriguing.

“”My family could be taken care of for the rest of our lives, my kids, my grandkids, if I am smart with my money and I do the right things,”” Britton said. “”I might not have to work again and that’s a great feeling.””

As of now, however, Britton has affirmed that his major focus sits in one area.

“”On ASU,”” Britton said.