METAIRIE, La. -- Rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore had his best day yet in the NFL on Wednesday, staging an impressive performance while working with the first stringers in the New Orleans Saints' minicamp.

Then Sean Payton topped off the session with his best one-liner of the offseason to date, flashing his ability to continue adapting his message to younger players.

“Listen, I told him he’s gonna be like Kendrick Lamar. They’re all gonna get in line to go see him,” Payton said of the Saints’ first-round draft pick. “That’s just how it is for a rookie corner. So there’ll be a long line waiting to test him, and he understands that. And that’s part of that status.”

Lattimore smiled when asked if he has heard that analogy from Payton. “He said it like twice, he tries to sneak it in there,” Lattimore said.

Marshon Lattimore had some moments on Wednesday in minicamp that showed why he was picked in the top half of the first round. Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports

But the message has resonated, just like the tough love he has received from other teammates and coaches.

“I had to step up because Coach wanted me to step up way more than what I have been doing,” Lattimore said -- likely a reference to secondary coach Aaron Glenn. “So I just accepted the challenge and got it done.”

Naturally, Lattimore has been experiencing the highs and lows that accompany his dual status as a rookie cornerback.

But Wednesday was definitely one of those choice moments where he looked like … well, the 11th pick in the NFL draft.

The highlight came when he ran stride for stride with receiver Michael Thomas for a pass break-up during a two-minute drill toward the end of practice. He broke up another pass down the field in the same drill, and had two or three other shining moments in various exercises throughout the day.

The 6-foot, 192-pounder from Ohio State got a rare opportunity to work alongside the starting unit after spending most of OTAs and minicamp with the second or third string. And he took advantage in a big way.

“This is probably the first day I felt like really comfortable out there,” Lattimore said. “I had people talking to me, had [safety Vonn Bell] out there with me just talking to me, telling me what’s there, what to look for and all that, so that helped me a lot.

“But I still have to get way ahead, so during this little break I have to get in here and just learn the playbook more and just watch film.”

Lattimore plans to spend time working and studying film over the next month with veterans such as Bell, safety Kenny Vaccaro and cornerback Delvin Breaux in the coming weeks.

From their accounts, Lattimore has come in with a humble attitude and has been taking their advice to heart.

“He’s got a long way to go, though,” Vaccaro said. “It doesn’t just start with two PBUs and OTAs practice. It’s in the Dome, it’s fourth-and-inches, it’s, ‘We need a big play.’ That growth has to continue, and he seems like he’s the guy for it.”

“We were all talking yesterday and [Lattimore] was like, ‘I’m going to come with it tomorrow.’ And I told him, ‘Don’t just come with it tomorrow,’” Breaux said. “‘Come with it the next day, in training camp, because think about it -- we brought you in here for a reason because you can play, so play up to that level.’ And today he did.

“I can’t wait to see what he does tomorrow.”