diff --git a/nomad/deploymentwatcher/deployment_watcher.go b/nomad/deploymentwatcher/deployment_watcher.go
index 6faf133e2..cca75e5de 100644
--- a/nomad/deploymentwatcher/deployment_watcher.go
+++ b/nomad/deploymentwatcher/deployment_watcher.go
@@ -767,7 +767,7 @@ func (w *deploymentWatcher) getAllocsImpl(ws memdb.WatchSet, state *state.StateS
 		}
 	}
 
-	// Use the last index that affected the jobs table
+	// Use the last index that affected the allocs table
 	if len(stubs) == 0 {
 		index, err := state.Index("allocs")
 		if err != nil {
@@ -806,7 +806,7 @@ func (w *deploymentWatcher) jobEvalStatus() (latestIndex uint64, blocked bool, e
 
 	var max uint64
 	for _, eval := range evals {
-		// If we ahve a blocked eval, then we do not care what the index is
+		// If we have a blocked eval, then we do not care what the index is
 		// since we will not need to make a new eval.
 		if eval.ShouldBlock() {
 			return 0, true, nil
diff --git a/nomad/drainer/watch_jobs.go b/nomad/drainer/watch_jobs.go
index 4f6b7e9cc..35380cfdb 100644
--- a/nomad/drainer/watch_jobs.go
+++ b/nomad/drainer/watch_jobs.go
@@ -447,6 +447,7 @@ func (w *drainingJobWatcher) getJobAllocsImpl(ws memdb.WatchSet, state *state.St
 	}
 
 	// Capture the allocs for each draining job.
+	var maxIndex uint64 = 0
 	resp := make(map[structs.NamespacedID][]*structs.Allocation, l)
 	for jns := range draining {
 		allocs, err := state.AllocsByJob(ws, jns.Namespace, jns.ID, false)
@@ -455,6 +456,17 @@ func (w *drainingJobWatcher) getJobAllocsImpl(ws memdb.WatchSet, state *state.St
 		}
 
 		resp[jns] = allocs
+		for _, alloc := range allocs {
+			if maxIndex < alloc.ModifyIndex {
+				maxIndex = alloc.ModifyIndex
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Prefer using the actual max index of affected allocs since it means less
+	// unblocking
+	if maxIndex != 0 {
+		index = maxIndex
 	}
 
 	return resp, index, nil
diff --git a/nomad/drainer/watch_nodes.go b/nomad/drainer/watch_nodes.go
index 65ec06206..7639bc804 100644
--- a/nomad/drainer/watch_nodes.go
+++ b/nomad/drainer/watch_nodes.go
@@ -235,6 +235,7 @@ func (w *nodeDrainWatcher) getNodesImpl(ws memdb.WatchSet, state *state.StateSto
 		return nil, 0, err
 	}
 
+	var maxIndex uint64 = 0
 	resp := make(map[string]*structs.Node, 64)
 	for {
 		raw := iter.Next()
@@ -244,6 +245,15 @@ func (w *nodeDrainWatcher) getNodesImpl(ws memdb.WatchSet, state *state.StateSto
 
 		node := raw.(*structs.Node)
 		resp[node.ID] = node
+		if maxIndex < node.ModifyIndex {
+			maxIndex = node.ModifyIndex
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Prefer using the actual max index of affected nodes since it means less
+	// unblocking
+	if maxIndex != 0 {
+		index = maxIndex
 	}
 
 	return resp, index, nil