There is no mistake, at the time Zhou Tian was indeed the most powerful. If one were to judge based on strength, the dragon rider might regard Zhou Tian as his strongest opponent, and this idea wouldn't be incorrect. However, one aspect the goblins didn't consider was if the dragon rider had any intelligence, then maybe he wouldn't just simply calculate based on data.
Without a doubt, Zhou Tian posed the greatest threat to the dragon rider in terms of strength. Yet, when other considerations come into play, this conclusion may not necessarily hold true.
For instance, the goblins didn't consider that perhaps, in the dragon rider's mind, the threat Zhou Tian posed as an enemy might not be as significant as theirs!