The former NFL lineman -- who lost half of his left arm in a July car crash -- says doctors told him he's a prime candidate for a state-of-the art prosthetic limb ... one he can control with HIS MIND!

"I had a good case where they preserved a lot of my nerves from my arm, so I'll be able to get a prosthetic I'll be able to control with my mind."

SERIOUSLY!!!

The 22-year-old joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (weeknights on FS1) -- and told us how he's adjusting to life after losing his arm from the elbow down.

The good news ... technology in the prosthetic limb industry is CRAZY GOOD right now and Norton says he's a top candidate for a bionic limb that will allow him to control robotic fingers as easily as he controlled his old ones.

We did some research and the science is fascinating -- there are limbs that harness signals transmitted from the brain and essentially tell a robotic hand how to function. It's amazing.

Norton still has some healing to do before he gets fitted ... but he's learning all about his options in the meantime.

"In the medical field, there's a lot of new technology out here I'm just now finding out about."

As for his future, we asked Norton if he's considering finding a new sport where he can compete with one hand ... and while he hasn't ruled it out, it's just not his priority at the moment.

Instead, Norton says he's focusing on starting a non-profit charity and wants to use his platform to inspire kids who are living without limbs.