Auburn wide receiver Darius Slayton has declared for the NFL Draft.

The redshirt junior, who led the Tigers in receiving this season, announced his decision to forgo his final season of eligibility via his Instagram account.

“These past four years at Auburn have been the best of my life,” Slayton wrote. "I am proud to be an Auburn Tiger and forever thankful for my time at Auburn. With that said, after speaking with my family and giving this decision a lot of thought and consideration, I have decided to forgo my senior year of football to declare for the NFL Draft. I feel like this is the best decision for me.

“I would like to thank the Auburn Family for supporting me and my teammates over the last four years. It has been a great experience, and I will forever be grateful to Auburn, Coach Malzahn and all of the coaches here for giving me the chance to play football at this outstanding University. I will carry the relationships and bonds that I have built with my teammates on with me for the rest of my life.”

Slayton caught 35 passes for a team-leading 670 yards and five touchdowns this season, tying freshman Seth Williams for the team-high in touchdown receptions. In 38 career games, Slayton had 79 catches for 1,605 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Slayton is the third Auburn underclassman to declare for the draft, joining quarterback Jarrett Stidham and cornerback Jamel Dean. The deadline for underclassmen to declare is Jan. 14.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.