Tre Mason drafted in the third round by St. Louis, joins Robinson

• Heisman Trophy finalist is fifth running back selected in the draft
• First Auburn teammates drafted by the same team in the same year since 2005 %28Carlos Rogers%2C Jason Campbell%29

AUBURN – War Damn Rams.

Tre Mason will have a familiar blocker for him in the NFL.

Auburn's single-season rushing record holder was picked by the St. Louis Rams with the 75th overall pick in the third round of the NFL Draft on Friday, uniting with No. 2 pick Greg Robinson, who helped pave the way for Mason the last two seasons on the Plains.

"Greg and I had always dreamed of since our freshman year to play together," Mason said during a conference call with St. Louis reporters Friday. "I just broke down in tears when coach (Jeff Fisher) called."

Mason and Robinson become the first pair of Auburn teammates to be drafted by the same team since 2005, when Carlos Rogers and Jason Campbell were drafted by Washington.

Mason said when he called Robinson to tell him the news, the first-round pick didn't initially believe him. Now they'll be a "dynamic duo" for the Rams.

"You've seen a duo of a lineman and running back, but Greg is my brother," Mason said. "We know each other's tendencies and techniques and how we play, so it will be great to continue on with Greg."

The Heisman Trophy finalist was the 5th running back to come off the board. Washington's Bishop Sankey was picked by Tennessee with the 54th overall pick, by far the latest ever for the first running back to be selected, followed by LSU's Jeremy Hill (55th to Cincinnati), Ohio State's Carlos Hyde (57th to San Francisco) and West Virginia's Charles Sims (No. 69 to Tampa Bay). The previous low mark Giovani Bernard's selection by Cincinnati with the No. 37 pick last year.

Mason ran for 1,816 yards and an SEC record-tying 23 touchdowns for Auburn last season, topping Bo Jackson's program record for yards and tying Tim Tebow's SEC mark for rushing scores. He also was a weapon as a kick returner, with a 100-yard touchdown to his credit last season.

Mason joins a club that finished 19th in the league in rushing (109.5 yards per game) last season and has former Vanderbilt running back Zac Stacy at the top of the depth chart.

"Tre is a change-of-pace back," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said during a press conference with reporters in St. Louis late Friday. "Good zone runner, obviously the numbers speak for themselves. He was a guy we just couldn't pass up at that point."

The Rams have a growing contingent of former Auburn stars, with Mason and Robinson joining former Tigers linebacker Daren Bates and wide receiver Emory Blake, who both signed with St. Louis as undrafted free agents last season. Former Auburn quarterback Barrett Trotter is a member of St. Louis' scouting department, Fisher is very familiar with Auburn's personnel because his son Trent used to play safety for the Tigers before leaving the program this winter, and general manager Les Snead played guard at Auburn and was a graduate assistant in 1993-94.

With the level of familiarity, St. Louis did not have Mason visit the team facility or hold an individual workout, making the destination a bit of a surprise to him.

"We approached Tre Mason no different than any other player," Fisher said. "We felt like we knew everything we needed to know about the kid."

Concerns arose in recent weeks regarding Mason's wrist, which he injured during the Iron Bowl and played through the pain during his record-setting performance (46 carries for 304 yards and four touchdowns) in the SEC Championship game and the BCS National Championship game.

He disclosed the injury at the NFL Combine in February but conflicting reports of its severity arose in recent weeks. A report by NFL.com claimed it wasn't healing properly and required surgery, which Mason immediately denied, then a separate NFL.com report a week later said Mason would pass a team physical.

The ordeal did not appear to affect Mason's draft stock, as he was projected as a second or third round pick all along.

"He's fine," Fisher said. "He's not going to have any problems. He may have to do something after the season but it was not a concern of ours, nor was it a concern of the doctors."

The value of running backs continues to free fall tough as none were drafted in the first round for the second straight year. Before last year, that had never happened in the common draft era, which started in 1967 with the merger of the NFL and AFL.

Falling to the middle of the third round puts another chip on Mason's shoulder, something he was already carrying with him into the draft after the wrist ordeal.

"That's going to be on my shoulder for a long time, probably for as long as I play in the NFL," Mason said. "I'm going make my name be known and show that they need to value the running back more. ... It's time to go back to work. I'm ready to prove a lot of people wrong."

He'll receive a four-year contract with an expected value of between $2.6 and $3.2 million, based on last year's rookie contracts.

Mason was the second of the five draft-eligible Heisman finalists drafted. Johnny Manziel was drafted by Cleveland with the No. 23 pick on Thursday.

St. Louis drafted Florida State defensive back Lamarcus Joyner in the second round, giving the Rams three players who played in the BCS title game last season.

Mason will now play for a team with a fan base that includes many Missouri fans who remember his personal-best outing in the SEC title game.

"I would love to tell them that I'm sorry what I did in college," he said. "But hey, I'll do at this level now for them."