FOXBOROUGH — In 49 games at Eastern Illinois — well-informed Patriots fans know the significance of that school — Kamu Grugier-Hill played one position: linebacker.

In the biographical information issued by the Patriots after they selected Grugier-Hill with the 208th pick in this year’s NFL Draft, they listed one position for him: safety.

Forgive him, then, if he doesn’t know exactly where he might play.

“Right now it’s in the coaches’ hands,’’ Grugier-Hill said. “I’m just here trying to learn the game, learn the playbook, and get better every day.’’

Has he spent more time with linebackers coach Brian Flores or safeties coach Steve Belichick?

“Right now there’s no specifics,’’ he said.

Does he have a preference on where he’d play?

“Not really. To be completely honest, I don’t care where they line me up,’’ he said. “They can line me up at receiver. Just happy to play the game of football.’’

At 6 feet 2 inches and 215 pounds, Grugier-Hill has the kind of size that NFL teams — especially the Patriots — have liked for the safety position in recent seasons. More teams are going with a safety/linebacker hybrid, someone who can play up in the box or back in pass coverage.

Head coach Bill Belichick looks at Grugier-Hill and sees possibilities.

“He’s an interesting player,’’ Belichick said. “He is kind of built like a safety, plays like a linebacker. Physically, he is probably built a little more like a safety.

“The traits that he has — smart, fast, tough, and a good tackler — those are things that we feel we will be able to utilize those, maybe in some different packages, or matchups, or situations, or whatever it happens to be.

“I think he’s got some things going for him, but maybe a little less conventional than some other players.’’

“Conventional’’ certainly wouldn’t describe Grugier-Hill’s path to the NFL. He grew up in Honolulu and was lured to Eastern Illinois because the head coach there at the time, Dino Babers, had played at the University of Hawaii. He was twice named all-conference in college and led Eastern Illinois in tackles as a junior.

After not receiving an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine, Grugier-Hill turned heads with his performance at Northwestern’s pro day on March 8, when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.40 and 4.44 seconds. With Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio in attendance, Grugier-Hill also displayed a 38½-inch vertical leap.

The Patriots obviously liked what they saw, but Grugier-Hill was no longer an unknown commodity. The Chicago Tribune reported that 46 representatives from 31 teams were on hand at the pro day. If the Patriots wanted him, they figured using a draft pick and not waiting for the post-draft free agent signing frenzy was the way to go.

“It was a long wait, and I was happy to have that call from the Patriots, no doubt,’’ Grugier-Hill said. “It’s just good to be here now, finally, with Jimmy and the team.’’

“Jimmy’’ would be in reference to backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who was a second-round draft pick two years ago, also out of Eastern Illinois.

“He’s been kind of my mentor this whole process,’’ Grugier-Hill said. “He’s definitely been helping me out and giving me some advice.’’

Belichick acknowledged the pipeline.

“It’s a school that is closely scrutinized now, but we have some extra help on that one,’’ he said. “We have a little scouting going on here. Most teams don’t have that extra set of eyes.’’

Teammates before, Grugier-Hill and Garoppolo are teammates again. Grugier-Hill figures to get his first shot at safety, so he’ll be facing Garoppolo in practice, looking to turn more heads. Grugier-Hill also might do that on special teams, an area that has always been emphasized by the Patriots. He played on special teams in high school and a little bit in college.

“I think special teams are No. 1,’’ Grugier-Hill said. “In college, I didn’t have much of a [defensive] backup, my coaches kind of protected me. At the next level, I think that’s going to be one thing that I think I will definitely succeed at. Huge emphasis on that.’’

Michael Whitmer can be reached at mwhitmer@ globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeWhitmer.