The NFL has already followed the NCAA’s lead in changing a kickoff rule once, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see it happen again.
The NCAA is currently exploring a rule change that would allow the receiving team to fair catch a kickoff inside the 25-yard line and have it treated as a touchback. The idea behind the rule is that it would reduce the number of kickoff returns, and therefore the number of collisions on kickoff returns, and therefore the number of injuries on kickoff returns.
It was college football that led the way on the rule that moved touchbacks on kickoffs out to the 25-yard line, rather than the 20-yard line. The NFL followed suit and adopted the 25-yard line rule.
If college football also adopts this new touchback rule, and it seems to work well, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the NFL do it as well. The NFL has said that its injury data shows that kickoffs result in more head and neck injuries per play than any other play in football, and the league wants to reduce those injuries. Touchbacks aren’t as exciting as kickoff returns, so not all fans would be on board, but the league will surely keep an eye on this NCAA proposal.