HOUSTON -- New Orleans Saints rookie Michael Thomas had yet another spectacular, one-handed catch during one-on-one drills Thursday against Houston Texans cornerback Charles James.

But it remains to be seen if the wide receiver drew "oohs and ahhs" in the film room or a "nuh-uh" from Saints coach Sean Payton.

Thomas has been sensational this summer, making one highlight-reel catch after the next. But Payton pointed out the other day that Thomas dropped a ball he tried to catch with one hand instead of securing it with two. And Payton emphasized that most times, two hands are better than one.

"I kid ... I saw Odell Beckham's mom at the Manning [Passing Academy this summer], and I said, ‘Shoot, it's becoming an epidemic now, watching my son play [high school football] and those guys warm up,'" Payton said in reference to Beckham Jr., the former LSU receiver who became an instant NFL legend for a lunging, one-handed catch as a rookie with the New York Giants in 2014.

"And for every one of those [one-handed catches] you're gonna see a number of balls on the ground. The second hand is obviously better," Payton said. "There's not many times where you can only get one hand on the ball. So depending on the play -- and I didn't see it, obviously [on Thursday] -- you want to get two hands on the football.

"If you're tied up or you're extended, sometimes it becomes the only option, but it's certainly not the primary option."

Saints quarterback Drew Brees agreed for the most part, but did add, "It's nice to know that you've got a guy that can go up there with that paw and just snag it with one hand."

And that has been the best part about Thomas' first summer with the Saints.

The second-round draft pick out of Ohio State has quickly earned the trust of New Orleans' quarterbacks because he continues to "go up there and snag it" in almost every practice and last week's preseason opener against the New England Patriots.

The 6-foot-3, 212-pounder seems likely to emerge as a great red-zone target because of his size and his ability to high-point the ball. But he looks as though he will be even more than that, based on the way he keeps making plays deep down the field.

"I think it's just good habits to get into, going up with two hands. But at times you don't have the chance to or the ball's just up there and you're a ballplayer," Brees said. "Odell Beckham made it famous, so everybody wants to do it now, I guess."

Thomas has drawn admirers outside of Saints camp, as well.

After Thursday's practice, Thomas caught up with standout Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who explained later that he developed a relationship with Thomas after Thomas reached out to him on Twitter.

"Since he's been in college at Ohio State he would always text me, ask me questions about things he could do to help his hands, help his route-running," Hopkins said. "So I've kind of been a mentor to him since he was in college."

When asked how that relationship started, Hopkins deadpanned, "From me playing good football and him liking it, I guess."

Kudos to Hopkins for delivering that line with a straight face, though he did raise his eyebrow as the media cracked up laughing.

Hopkins did, however, tell NOLA.com that the appreciation was mutual.

"I like his game a lot," Hopkins said. "He reminds me of myself, honestly. The guy is not a very talked-about guy, but he goes out there and makes plays. Coming out of the combine, he was one of my favorite receivers. [Even] without me talking to him before, I liked his game a lot."

So far, it doesn't seem Thomas is getting a big head from all of these early highlights and accolades.

After his terrific performance at New England last week (four catches, 67 yards, two more "did you see that?" grabs), Thomas said he felt he was "pretty average."

"I left a couple plays out there that I could've had," said Thomas, who rejected the idea that he is getting "comfortable" in his first NFL training camp.

"Oh, you never can be comfortable in this league," Thomas said. "I'm still young. I still can make more plays, I feel like. Never get comfortable. I couldn't even tell you where my comfort level is at. I'm not comfortable, though."

That's good, because it's important that Thomas keeps both feet on the ground -- as well as both hands on the ball.