The Auburn Tigers will have to try to get back to the National Championship by weathering the new playoff format without running back Tre Mason.

ESPN reported the junior running back will forgo his last season of NCAA eligibility and declare for the NFL Draft. He was reportedly given a third-round grade from the league's draft advisory board, but a late-season surge may help Mason on draft night.

Mason ranked fifth nationally in rushing yards with 1,816, but he registered 663 in Auburn's last three games of the season. He also scored 24 total touchdowns, including seven in those last three.

Against Alabama in the Iron Bowl, he ran for 164 yards on the Crimson Tide defense, then took 46 carries for 304 yards against Missouri in the SEC Championship and topped it all off with 195 yards in the Tigers' National Championship loss.

"It's been my dream since I was young, and I'm a dream chaser," Mason said in his announcement, according to ESPN. "I'm just trying to make a dream into a reality."

Mason now joins two senior running backs in the draft: Boston College's Andre Williams and Ohio State's Carlos Hyde. After three less-than-stellar seasons, Williams ran for 2,177 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. Hyde Also capped his four-year college career with his best yet, registering 1,521 yards on the ground and 15 scores.

"The [NFL] is getting one of the tougher individuals in all of college football," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn told ESPN. "He can run between the tackles. He has great courage. He played his best games in the biggest games, and he's a good receiver out of the backfield, also."

Mason said he is leaving the Auburn backfield in good shape. The Tigers averaged 328.3 rushing yards per game, tops in the country. Now, Cameron Artis-Payne and Corey Grant, both juniors, and recruit Racean Thomas will split most of the workload for Auburn next year.

"Those guys are ready," Mason said. "They were ready this year. I've seen a lot of talent in those guys, and they're very hard workers starting from Peyton Barber all the way up to Cameron Artis-Payne. Those guys work hard, and that's something I know they're going to continue to do."