Saints News Network

Dennis Allen's Draft History as Head Coach

Dennis Allen has his second opportunity to lead a franchise as a head coach.  Here were his draft results as head coach of the Raiders from 2012 to 2014.

Bob Rose

In this story:

For the first time since 2005, the New Orleans Saints will not have head coach Sean Payton to oversee their draft. General Manager Mickey Loomis and Assistant General Manager Jeff Ireland are still with the organization, but Dennis Allen replaces Payton in the trio of draft day decision-making for the team.

Payton had most of the control in the final draft decisions, but it is unclear whether Allen will have as much say-so initially in who the Saints select. Allen has been in this position before as coach of the Oakland Raiders between 2012 and 2014.

Raiders owner Al Davis had complete autonomy over that franchise and their drafts until his death in 2011. Even after that, Allen had little say in his own teams selections. Still, an NFL team's drafts are usually a reflection on their head coach and management.

Here were the Oakland's draft results during Allen's three-year tenure as head coach.

Raiders Draft - 2012

Oct 16, 2016; New Orleans Saints linebacker Nate Stupar (54) against Carolina. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
  • 3rd Round (95th Overall)

Tony Bergstrom, OT (Utah)

  • 4th Round

Miles Burris, LB (San Diego State)

  • 5th Round

Jack Crawford, DE (Penn State)

  • 5th Round

Juron Criner, WR (Arizona)

  • 6th Round

Christo Bilukidi, DE

  • 7th Round

Nate Stupar, LB (Penn State)

Burris, Criner, and Bilukidi were out of the league in less than two years. Bergstrom and Crawford were little-used backups who bounced around the league for nine seasons each. Stupar never played a down for the Raiders, but was a serviceable reserve in the NFL until 2019. He played for the Saints and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen in 2016 and 2017.

Raiders Draft - 2013

Dec 20, 2015; Oakland Raiders running back Latavius Murray (28) runs the ball against the Green Bay Packers. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
  • 1st Round (12th Overall)

D.J. Hayden, CB (Houston)

  • 2nd Round (42nd Overall)

Menelik Watson, OT (Florida State)

  • 3rd Round (66th Overall)

Sio Moore, LB (Connecticut)

  • 4th Round

Tyler Wilson, QB (Arkansas)

  • 6th Round

Nick Kasa, TE (Colorado)

  • 6th Round

Latavius Murray, RB (UCF)

  • 6th Round

Stacy McGee, DT (Oklahoma)

  • 7th Round

Brice Butler, WR (San Diego State)

  • 7th Round

David Bass, WR (Missouri Western)

Despite three selections in the top 100, the Raiders had another mediocre draft. Hayden is still in the NFL, but left Oakland after four seasons. He's started just 41 of 92 games over his nine-year career and has 4 interceptions.

Menelik had major pass protection issues, but was a serviceable run blocker. Moore had a productive rookie campaign, but disappeared quickly afterwards. Rivera was a big-play threat over his first two seasons but was out of the league by 2017.

Latavius Murray was Oakland's best pick of 2013. After spending his rookie year on injured reserve, he rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2015 and scored 20 touchdowns in three seasons with the Raiders. Murray was productive for two years with Minnesota before serving as an effective back for the Saints in 2019 and 2020.

Raiders Draft - 2014

Dec 21, 2014; Oakland Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack (52) rushes Buffalo Bills left tackle Cordy Glenn (77). Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
  • 1st Round (5th Overall)

Khalil Mack, LB (Buffalo)

  • 2nd Round (36th Overall)

Derek Carr, QB (Fresno State)

  • 3rd Round (81st Overall)

Gabe Jackson, G (Mississippi State)

  • 4th Round

Justin Ellis, LB (Louisiana Tech)

  • 4th Round

Keith McGill, S (Utah)

  • 7th Round

T.J. Carrie, CB (Ohio)

  • 7th Round

Shelby Harris, DE (Illinois State)

  • 7th Round

Jonathan Dowling, S (Western Kentucky)

This was Allen's best haul of draft talent while with the Raiders. Mack is one of the league's most disruptive pass rushers. However, he was traded to Chicago after four standout seasons in Oakland. Carr is considered one of the NFL's better quarterbacks and has led the Raiders to two postseason appearances.

Carrie spent four years in Oakland and has 7 interceptions and 15 fumbles forced or recovered over an eight-year career. Jackson is one of the league's best interior blockers and spent seven years with the Raiders before moving on to Seattle in 2021. Harris has developed into a productive edge defender, but did it over the last five years with division rival Denver.

Unfortunately, Dennis Allen never had a chance to develop his 2014 draft class. He was fired four games into the 2014 season, leaving Oakland with an 8-28 record.

Allen now has his second chance to oversee a franchise's draft. This time with a New Orleans team that has much more talent and stronger front office than he had with the Raiders. 

Read More Saints News

Published
Bob Rose
BOB ROSE

Covers the New Orleans Saints as a senior writer for the Saints News Network.  Co-Host of the Bayou Blitz Podcast.