Jordan Norwood

Jordan Shea Rashad Norwood (born September 28, 1986) is a Filipino-American wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was signed by the Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Penn State.

Norwood has also been a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. Norwood is the son of Baylor assistant head coach and former Penn State secondary coach Brian Norwood.

College career


Norwood was lightly recruited out of State College Area High School. He received few scholarship offers and accepted Penn State's last minute offer over an offer from Bucknell to play football and basketball. It was his leadership and jumping skills on the basketball court that led coach Joe Paterno to offer him a football scholarship.

In 2005, his freshman season, Norwood caught 32 passes for 422 yards with a 13.2 yard average.

Norwood's sophomore season concluded with him making the Dean's List and being named to the Academic All-Big Ten team. He caught 45 passes for 472 yards and 2 touchdowns with a 10.5 yard average. He joined the basketball team under Ed DeChellis in January, practicing regularly and appearing in four games as a reserve guard in his only season playing basketball.

In his junior season, Jordan caught 40 balls for 484 yards and 5 touchdowns with a 12.1 yard average including catching a touchdown pass lying down on the ground versus Buffalo. He had a season high 8 catches for 65 yards and a touchdown in a 36-31 win over Indiana.

Norwood earned all-Big Ten honorable mention honors as a senior, after catching 41 passes for 637 yards and six touchdowns. Norwood's eight-catch, 116-yard performance versus Oregon State on September 6, 2008 moved him past O.J. McDuffie into third place on Penn State’s career reception list. Afterward, he was congratulated in person by McDuffie, who attended the game. Norwood had a second consecutive 100 plus yard game on September 13, 2008 against the Syracuse Orange. He had 5 receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Before the game against Illinois, Norwood injured his hamstring and didn't participate against the Illini and the Boilermakers.

Pre-draft
Norwood was invited to the 2009 NFL Scouting Combine where he measured a 38-inch vertical jump (sixth among wide receivers at the combine), ran 6.80 in the 3 cone drill (ninth among wide receivers at the combine), and 4.20 in the 20 yard shuttle (ninth among wide receivers at the combine).

First stint with Browns
After being undrafted in the 2009 NFL Draft, Norwood signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 2009. He was waived by the Browns during final roster cuts on September 5, 2009.

Philadelphia Eagles
On September 23, 2009, Norwood was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 1, 2009. He was waived on December 7. On December 9, he was re-signed to their practice squad. He was re-signed to a three-year contract on January 11, 2010. On March 18, Norwood changed his number from 84 to 19 after Hank Baskett was re-signed by the Eagles and took number 84 back. Norwood was waived on September 4.

Second stint with Browns
Norwood was signed to the Cleveland Browns' practice squad on September 6, 2010. He was promoted to the active roster before Week 13 of the 2010 season.

Personal
Norwood earned a Bachelor of Arts in Advertising/Public Relations from Penn State in 2008.

Jordan has two younger brothers, Zaccariah and Levi, a younger sister Brianna, and an older brother, Gabe, who is a former member of the George Mason University basketball team that advanced to the 2006 NCAA Final Four and is currently playing for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the Philippine Basketball Association. Levi plays football and basketball for Baylor University. Zaccariah, who goes by Zac, is a fierce competitor in the Business Professionals of America, showing the more intellectual side of the Norwood family, proving them to be very well rounded.