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Video games are often the best tool for fans to see how opposing superstars would look in their favorite team's laundry, but as it turns out, the pros do it too.

Safety Tony Jefferson told NFL.com's Brooke Cersosimo he checked out Madden NFL to see how he looked in the uniforms of his free-agent suitors, landing on the Baltimore Ravens and favoring the team's black-on-black alternate combo.

"I am a guy of swagger, so I gotta check the swag at all points before I make a decision," Jefferson said. "I put myself in different uniforms on Madden to see what will look better. Ravens did look good, though."

Jefferson didn't just pick the Ravens because of their uniforms, as he explained to The MMQB's Andy Benoit, but Ben Haumiller, a producer for Madden, tells Bleacher Report the EA Sports team regularly interacts with players, mostly fielding complaints over their in-game ratings.

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"Everyone has an opinion, especially about themselves," Haumiller says. "We're not going to bend over backwards for anybody and make everyone a 99 just to make people feel happy. It's got to be grounded in reality and comparative to the rest of the league. People's 40 times go a long way to dictating their speed rating. Their three-cone drill does a lot for their agility."

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One player complaint, however, sticks out.

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was not happy with his speed rating his rookie season. Beckham reached out to Madden to complain, and the producers wanted definitive proof. So after practice one day, Beckham filmed a hand-held video where he raced against teammates with higher speed ratings in the game. Along with the video came a note.

"I'm faster than you guys give me credit for," Beckham wrote.

It was enough for the Madden team to boost up the rating. Beckham started his rookie season in the 70s but ended the year in the low 90s.

"That happens a lot," Haumiller says. "If they can show us some sort of proof, if they can prove what they did or if they didn't lift at the combine because of a shoulder injury, if they can prove what they did bench back when they were healthy, we can use that to inform ratings."

Often players will take their complaints about their attributes directly to Twitter or vocalize their displeasure in the media.

Raiders punter Marquette King complained about his throwing power on a podcast and wanted a boost. After discussions with some Madden producers, King's throwing power was upgraded, but—as the Beckham case showed—it's not always easy to get a higher rating in the game.

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In terms of Tony Jefferson, though, Haumiller was surprised to hear about the video game's role in the San Diego native's life-changing decision.

"We've heard a lot of players over the years talk about their affinity for Madden and their love for Madden," Haumiller says. "This is a first for us, though. I don't think I've ever heard of any player who said he cycled through uniform options to help decide where they were going to go."

Haumiller says the team at Madden previously had a dialogue with Jefferson when the Ravens safety realized his face wasn't scanned into the game. Jefferson, however, said he remembered going through the process before he stepped foot onto an NFL field.

"He started tweeting at us," Haumiller says. "We found his scan, and it's going through the pipes right now, so he's got a face in the game this year from the scan he did with us previously." Most players get their face scanned into the game during the NFL combine.

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Haumiller says the game still holds a lot of utility for players in other ways as well. Often, it can serve as the benchmark for players to finally process that they've made the NFL.

For foreign players, such as Bjoern Werner and Moritz Boehringer, it can serve as a training tool to understand the game. Former NFL running back Ahman Green uses Madden to help teach concepts to the teams he coaches.

But first and foremost, it serves as a barometer for many players to stack themselves against one another.

"Historically, Emmitt Smith was the only guy who said he was too fast in Madden," Haumiller says. "Every year, players complain about their speed. Now they know everything about the game and they've got a direct pipeline. If they don't like it, they're going to let us know."