  The recently measured inclusive electron-proton cross section in the nucleon
resonance region, performed with the CLAS detector at the Thomas Jefferson
Laboratory, has provided new data for the nucleon structure function $F_2$ with
previously unavailable precision. In this paper we propose a description of
these experimental data based on a Regge-dual model for $F_2$. The basic inputs
in the model are nonlinear complex Regge trajectories producing both isobar
resonances and a smooth background. The model is tested against the
experimental data, and the $Q^2-$ dependence of the moments is calculated. The
fitted model for the structure function (inclusive cross section) is a limiting
case of the more general scattering amplitude equally applicable to deeply
virtual Compton scattering (DVCS). The connection between the two is discussed.
